The Twilight Saga: Blinking Star
by Micro Magic
Summary: Renesmee's first year in high school. How will she handle the problems, the upcoming dangers and her newfound feelings for Jacob?
1. Race

**CHAPTER 1 - RACE**

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><p><strong>Renesmee<strong>

"I win!" I cried out as we compared our prey.

Jacob had a deer in his mouth, and I was holding up a coyote about 1/3 of his size. His deer was small enough to compare with Aunt Alice's height.

"You lost fair and square, so you're gonna let me ride you on the way home."

Jacob dropped the deer and barked a laugh. He lowered his head and poked his nose on the deer. I didn't need him to be human to know what he was saying. He was giving me his prey.

I bent down and allowed my teeth to cut through the deer's furry throat, its blood was still warm when it flushed through my mouth like a stream.

After it went dry, I held it out to Jacob - I wasn't venomous like the rest of my family, so there was no problem giving Jacob the dead deer. He grabbed it with his teeth and began tearing it apart, eating its bloody flesh; and I moved on to the coyote.

We were finished by the time Uncle Emmett and Dad caught up to us.

"So, who won?" Uncle Emmett asked eagerly.

I pointed to myself with a thumb. Emmett immediately broke into proud laughter. "Told you she'd beat you," he told Jacob cockily.

"Where's mom and the others?" I changed the subject.

Dad answered. "They're all hunting some deer about two miles north."

He pointed to their direction.

"Wanna catch up to them?"

I nodded and stood, then dashed in Dad's pointed direction. I was running ahead first, but it did not take long before Dad ran past me, Uncle Emmett darted past me a few seconds later. Jacob reached me quickly, but didn't run ahead.

"Seriously, Jacob. You don't have to keep up with me."

He snorted.

About a half-mile, we caught their scent and followed it to their location. Mom and Aunt Alice were draining two elks; Aunt Rosalie and Grandma were a few kilometers away, sharing their deer.

I looked around the area: there were three faces missing. When I couldn't see them, I closed my eyes and listened on the environment. The sound of a running river almost covered my ears, but I could hear it. A heart slowed to a stop as its blood was drained by three sucking mouths.

"Hey," Mom greeted and made her way to us. "How'd it go?"

Jacob poked his nose on my shoulder while Dad and Uncle Emmett laughed.

Aunt Rosalie walked up to Aunt Alice after she finished her prey, Grandma was right behind her.

"Told you you didn't need a vision to know who'll win," she said. "My niece is very good at hunting."

Grandpa, Uncle Jasper and Tommy crossed the river to our side.

"Too bad, dude, looks like you'll have to give her a ride on the way home," Emmett teased.

"All right, let's go home, I'm full for an entire week," Aunt Alice said.

Everyone nodded.

This was the moment that we'd all been waiting for. Tommy had orchestrated this for two days now. Uncle Emmett and Uncle Jasper looked anxious to get started. Jacob bent down on his legs, so I climbed up to his shoulder blades.

He walked a few paces ahead to face us all.

"Alright, this is how it goes," he began. "We're going to race all the way home. Whoever makes it back first and second will be rewarded with the Disturbing Nevada live concert tickets.

"Now during the race, we're allowed to use any sort of method to our advantage. We can take an alternate route, bounce, and keep track of each other's movements to our advantage. All except for one thing: we're not allowed to use any sort of method to distract or decrease each other. Everyone understand?"

We nodded together. Mom was instantly at Dad's side; Aunt Rosalie and Uncle Emmett held hands.

He turned to our racing direction. "Okay. Ready? Set..."

"Don't even think about it, Emmett," Aunt Alice warned.

Uncle Emmett snorted.

"Go!"

We sped as fast as we managed. Dad took the lead, running fast like blur with Mom closely behind him. Uncle Jasper quickly caught up with Uncle Emmett and Aunt Rosalie. I looked behind me and spotted Grandma at the farthest back, running inches behind Aunt Alice, Tommy and Grandpa.

And Jacob ran almost as fast as Dad. I was heavy like a fully packed backpack, but that didn't slow him down much. His paws bounced forward without pause. I bet Leah would've liked to race with us, if she was fond of vampires like her brother.

"Sayonara, suckers!" Uncle Emmett said, and began to run to his right while ushering Aunt Rosalie to follow him. Tommy left our party to join them.

They disappeared behind the trees.

"Don't worry, they're gonna lose," Aunt Alice acknowledged.

Then she and Uncle Jasper turned down the left road and left our party. Grandma and Grandpa followed them three seconds later.

"Nessie, Jacob, you guys can stay with us," Dad called from ahead. "Alice can't see you, so we can use that to our advantage."

Jacob snorted as he breathed.

"No, we're just taking advantage of what we've got. Thomas just said we can't slow each other down, but we can use whatever disadvantage they have in our favor. Let's run ahead a few more miles and then turn left. There's a ravine up ahead."

In three minutes we reached the ravine. Dad told us to run a mile down the ravine before jumping across the river, because Alice will cross it in a minute and if we ran a few miles down the rocks, we will be closer to home than they.

After crossing the river, we ran straight and caught our own scents when we were running in the opposite direction earlier. He caught Uncle Emmett's thoughts on the way and instructed us to turn right. By now, Aunt Alice was closer too. Unexpectedly, Tommy fell down from above, landing a few kilometers away from our party and ran in our direction. He caught up with us in a sec.

"How did you do that?" I had to ask.

"Rubber tree," he answered with two words, and then explained. "Good to use when you know how to take advantage of your weight and speed."

Three minutes passed. Four. Five.

Mom and Dad were the first to reach the house; Jacob, and Tommy and I were two seconds behind. Aunt Alice, Uncle Jasper, Grandma and Grandpa came into view a second later; and Emmett and Rosalie were the last to reach the house.

"Damnit!" Emmett shrieked angrily at his loss. Rosalie rested a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. He turned around and she flashed a lovely grin.

"Watch your language, Emmett," Dad warned, then turned to Mom. "We won."

Mom raised her eyebrows, but her grin flashed victoriously. "We're going to the concert."

Aunt Alice snorted and her eyes flickered to Jacob for a second. "I so could've won that."


	2. Tucking Is Always Best

**CHAPTER 2 - TUCKING IS ALWAYS THE BEST**

_**Please review this chapter if you like it. A little encouragement could be helpful.**_

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><p><strong>Renesmee<strong>

"I'll get the tickets," Tommy said expressionlessly and headed inside the house. Everyone went inside, barely fast enough for human speed.

I flipped down from Jacob's back. "Wait here. I'll go find some clothes for you."

With that, I turned to the door and sped into my bedroom as fast as I could. I pulled open the double doors to my closet room and went to find the trunk of clothes I had prepared for Jacob in case he needed it; the first things I found were a pair of short blue jeans, and an indigo T-shirt and a belt for the jeans.

Thank Alice for preparing it for him. Couldn't say much about the rest though; all the lovely, sexy, regular and cute outfits and accessories practically made my head spin. She always picked out what she liked me to wear when we went shopping, never given me any chance to choose my own. Thankfully, she had no saying when Mom and Dad decided to buy me something.

When I came out to find him waiting patiently, I held out the clothes for him. "Here you go."

He grabbed it with his mouth, and then crossed the porch into the forest. Standing there made me feel like an idiot.

"I'll be in the living room," I said lowly, knowing that he would hear.

I went inside slowly, but something made me want to stay and look back at Jacob when he came out. What was wrong with me?

Fighting the little desire, or urge, I went into the living room and remotely activated the TV with the word "TV, open". The screen was showing Discovery Channel. Boring.

"Channel 22," I told the voice-activated plasma. CNN was at least showing something a little newer than Discovery Channel. Someone knocked the door and entered.

"Hey," Jacob greeted and joined me on the couch. "So what're they showing?"

"News. What with the flooding over half the world."

He grinned silently for a moment. I knew he was thinking about something. "Spit it out, what's on your mind?" I asked curiously with a grin of my own.

"Well, I got two movie tickets for "Felony" and they expire after the 10th September. I was thinking we could celebrate your birthday at the cinema."

My smile grew wider. "It sounds great."

He flashed my favorite smile. "Then it's settled."

"Aha."

Aunt Alice and Grandma emerged from the kitchen.

"Nessie, it's almost ten o'clock," Grandma warned, "You better go to bed now if you're gonna get ready for school tomorrow."

The word sent a shudder in me.

School.

I haven't thought much about it today. I'd always wanted to start going to school and live a normal life. Not that any of us were normal, but I wanted to make friends that are at least human. In my whole life, I'd been hidden from public and people that were unaware of my family's identities. The only humans I ever hung out with were Grandpa Charlie, Emily, Sue, Claire and Billy, Jacob's dad. Not that my parents didn't want me to make friends, but they wanted me to wait until my maturity was complete. We lived in Forks till I turned four when Tommy suddenly joined us as a newborn. Grandpa wanted keep him away from humans until he could control his thirst. So we moved up to Alaska with the Denalis until this summer. I hadn't seen Grandpa Charlie since then, and even though the phone kept us in touch, I still missed him.

"Okay," I sighed, then added a question. "Can Jacob tuck me in?"

Aunt Alice and Grandma looked at each other for a second.

"That will be fine, Nessie," Grandma answered gently.

I couldn't help but flash a huge smile at her. She was always so loving when it came to Jacob. I grabbed his warm hand and dragged him off the couch. Once we were in my room, I went into the wardrobe and started changing into my pajamas. He tucked me into my bed gently and slowly, in no hurry.

"So, are you nervous?" he asked.

I didn't know what he meant.

"About what?"

"About school. I mean, technically it _is_ your first time at school ever."

I was always honest with him. "Worried. I've never been into the human society long enough. So it kinda worries me."

He flashed my favorite smile.

"Well, don't worry. We're all gonna be there to help you. And if you get in trouble, I'm gonna make sure to get you out. Edward's blended half of my classes with yours."

I felt relieved by that.

Then a new worry came up in my mind. "What about Tommy?"

His smile lowered slightly. "What about him?"

"He's still new with this. He's only been with us for three years, what if he loses control? Shouldn't he be the one needing supervision?"

"And he _is_ getting that," Jacob laughed. "Alice, Jasper, and your mom and dad will be watching him. He doesn't have one class that doesn't involve one or two of them. I wouldn't worry too much though, he's got that trick to back him up."

"Fighting the urge isn't easy, you know," I explained. "I'm half-vampire and I know that good enough."

He laughed again.

"And what about you?"

His eyes narrowed in confusion. "Me?"

"You're going to school with us. How does that feel for you?"

He counted with his fingers. "Well, I've done math, failed biology, barely got through English, aced gymnastics, Spanish got a B+. It's just going to be like doing it all over again." His smile never faltered.

"Yeah, which brings us back to why you bother going at all."

His eyes turned elsewhere for a second, as if he was putting together an answer. Finally he explained. "Because you asked me to. And I love hanging out with my little Nessie."

"You're going to school with a bunch of vampires, which you've said that the Quileute shape-shifters hate like alot."

"Yeah, but your family's different. You're different."

I was curious then. Just because we were different doesn't mean it was any easier being with each other. I wanted to ask him more questions. Not that I wasn't happy with him around, but I still wanted to know why he bothered. Before I could ask any more questions, Dad knocked the door and interrupted our conversation. I had to lift my head to look at him sheepishly.

"You better finish tucking her in before I throw you out to make her sleep," he threatened politely, but it sounded little more than a joke.

Jacob sighed and kissed my forehead. "Good night, Nessie. See you tomorrow."

"Good night," I whispered.

He turned off the light and closed the door behind him. I closed my eyes, cleared my mind. And in a matter of seconds, I doze off into my subconsciousness. For some reason, the first thing in my dream was Jacob, who opened his arms to embrace me.

**Jacob**

I wished everyone good night. Edward followed me to the door.

"Jacob."

I stopped abruptly to turn to him. Something about his expression told me that he wanted to say something.

"Renesmee will be seven in a few weeks," he started.

I didn't know where this was heading.

"I won't tell her about your imprinting and I want you to do the same. Because she needs to be able to choose, not be forced into being with someone."

Oh, that made sense. Yes, he was right. I would just be anything she wants me to be. Maybe if she chooses me I'll be her boyfriend, but if she decided to find somebody else, I could only support her and be her best friend. I breathed to keep my calm and tried to hide away the quench that suddenly pressed against my heart.

"Sorry," Edward apologized for his suggestion.

"No, I understand. You're right. I'm not gonna tell her unless she asks me to. I'm not gonna force her into anything like I did with Bella."

He grinned lightly in understanding. "I know."

"I better go. Wouldn't wanna be late tomorrow."

He nodded. Then in an instant, Bella was by his side.

"Good night, Jacob," she said.

"Good night."

I started heading into the woods and was about to phase... till I remembered that I was wearing clothes that Nessie gave me. The scent of her perfume still lingered in the tissues. I jogged a few miles from the Cullen house, and once I was out of Edward's hearing range, I took off my clothes and wrapped them in my belt and then phased.

The forest was quieter than usual. Not too quiet, but enough to give me silence. I realized what it was. No one had phased tonight. Not Leah or Seth or Embry or Quil or Ricky or Michael. My thoughts were all mine... for now. I grabbed my clothes and ran home. The breezy cold wind was refreshing to my fur. I let my tongue dangle.

The memory of Nessie's smiles and weight on my shoulders earlier reappeared in my mind.


	3. First Day

**CHAPTER 3 - FIRST DAY**

_**Please review this chapter if you like it. A little encouragement could be helpful.**_

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><p><strong>Renesmee<strong>

"Nessie, hurry up, you don't wanna be late on your first day at school," Aunt Alice called from the porch for the twelfth time. Her voice was barely enough for me to hear.

"I'm coming," I called back as I pulled on my green jacket. It was my first day at school ever, I wanted to look like any normal girl. Aunt Alice was probably better at dressing up than me, but I didn't want her to overdo it.

Once I was finished, I grabbed my book bag and darted out of my room to the front door. Dad, Mom, Grandma and Aunt Alice were the only ones waiting at the door. My eyes flickered around the pavement and found Aunt Rosalie in her BMW and Uncle Emmett in his Jeep with Uncle Jasper.

There were only a few faces missing. I had to question where they were.

"Jacob's going to meet us at the school, and Thomas is still hunting with Carlisle," Dad answered my thoughts.

I wondered when Tommy would be finished. Hopefully he wouldn't decide to skip school altogether just to avoid the bloodlust.

"He won't. He's just not used to being around people, that's all. You know how hard he'd had it."

I nodded. Of course I remembered. If he hadn't been involved, we wouldn't have had to leave Forks so suddenly. Mom and Dad and Jacob brought me to visit Grandpa to tell him the news. We settled down in Anchorage and didn't visit him for at least a year.

Emmett scoffed. "Hmph... more like dislike. Been with us for three years now, and he still hasn't gotten used to human contact. He's not gonna make it through the day."

Dad's eyes narrowed as he focused on the woods to his left side. "Emmett, you might wanna shut up now, cuz he's on his way here," he warned.

Mom and the others looked in the same direction and listened. I listened too. At first, I heard nothing, then whooshing sounds crossed the forest, running through some bushes. I saw them then as they ran out from the distant trees. Grandpa was taking the lead as they closed the distance between us. It was then I realized that he had a book bag.

"Hey," Tommy greeted with a waving hand after they met us on the porch. "Am I on time?"

Aunt Alice nodded encouragingly. "You timed it pretty well. Come on, let's go, or we're gonna be late."

They began to embark the cars. A thought hit me before I embarked on Dad's car, so I turned to face Grandpa. "Grandpa, could you tell Grandma I wish her good luck on her job?"

He nodded. "I will give her the message. Have fun on your first day."

With that I darted into the backseat of Dad's car next to Tommy and we drove off.

**Jacob**

I waited patiently in Nestucca High School's parking lot. Several students eyed at me while they passed, whispers about me being tall, dark and handsome came from everywhere. Some of the whispers were so disturbing that I didn't want to hear anymore. It took countless minutes before their cars finally appeared in the lot, and seconds for me to find the face I was waiting for.

"Jacob," Nessie called out my name from the backseat. I waved back and grinned huge - it was always great to see her smile.

She was the first to disembark the car after Edward parked it a few meters from mine. She walked quickly, almost ran, in my direction.

"Good morning, Nessie," I greeted as she came and opened my arms.

"Good morning," she answered as she came into my embrace. More whispers erupted around us, but I ignored them. A throat cleared.

"Hey, class is starting soon," Alice called from behind. "You guys can hang out later."

We pulled away then. Nessie looked over her shoulder to the new school. Her expression turned nervous.

"Don't worry, guys, it's natural to be nervous," Emmett reassured. "As long as you don't bite anyone on campus, you'll do just fine."

"Oh, and Tommy," Alice said suddenly. "You remember your role?"

He sighed in irritation. "I know, I'll do the eating food charade for you guys."

"Nessie and Jacob are the only ones who'll eat. You just need to cloak the rest of us so that everybody will think we're eating."

"Now, come on or we're gonna be late," Bella urged.

I nodded in agreement.

**Renesmee**

We walked directly into the principal's office to pick up our schedules. According to my schedule for the day, I will have English, arts, physics, literature and history with Jacob, Spanish with Mom and Dad, and gym with Uncle Emmett and Aunt Rosalie. Other than that, I'll be on my own. This began to make me more nervous than I already was. I swear I could feel my own blood pumping.

Once we were in the hallway, Mom pulled me to a corner out of earshot. Eyes were still focused on us as they passed.

"Alright, your phone has all our numbers, so call us if you need anything. If you get thirsty, ask the professor for permission to go to the bathroom," she explained quickly.

I nodded. "Thanks, Mom."

"_Bella_," she corrected me.

I so need to work on straightening the names to avoid confusion.

"Bella."

Dad came to us, his expression was proud and happy. "Don't worry, I know you'll do great. You're more special than any of us."

Reassurance began to flush through me. "Thanks, Dad."

"Dad?"

"_Edward_," I corrected myself.

They discarded to their classes, leaving only Jacob and I in the hallway. He came up to me with a large grin, his eyes bore into mine.

"So what're we having right now?" he asked teasingly.

"Right now, _I_ got American Culture, you got Government. See you later, bud."

His eyes fixed on my face like he was seeing the most beautiful treasure ever. My heart pumped faster than before, and my cheeks blushed.

The bell rang. Everyone began heading to class. Jacob's eyes were still focused on me.

"Better get to class, I'll see you later." I went around him and started heading to my first class.

"Yeah," he breathed, but I didn't turn to look at him. My cheeks were still burning.

What is wrong with me? Jacob had always been a part of my life like I was a part of his. He'd always been like an older brother to me. I've always looked him in the eye. Why did this feel so new? It was like a different sensation.

I timed my appearance well, being the last to enter the classroom. The professor was ready to begin when he saw me at the door.

"Ah, yes, Ms. Cullen," he said, and then said louder both to the students and myself. "Everyone, this is Ms. Cullen, she will be sharing classes with you throughout the semester." Then he turned to me. "Why don't you introduce yourself to your class?"

Nervously, I went closer to his desk and turned to the students. They were all focused on me with mixed expressions. Some curious, some casual and some completely bored by my face.

"Hello," I said casually, and went on. "My name is Renesmee Cullen, but I go by Nessie. I just moved down here from Alaska with my family."

Low but clear whispers sent through the room.

"Why don't you find yourself a seat?" the professor suggested after my short introduction and scanned for free desks.

There was one free desk on the front row, one in the second front between two boys and one in the back corner behind a girl. I wanted to take the one in the front, but decided for the corner to avoid the disturbing looks. I moved quickly to the seat, barely fast enough to pass for human speed.

"Mr. Richards, would you mind sharing your textbook with Ms. Cullen until she gets one of her own?"

The blonde boy at my right nodded in agreement and leaned closer toward me with his textbook.

"Thanks," I said quietly.

"No problem. I'm Martin Richards, but you can call me 'Martie'. And welcome to Cloverdale."

He offered his hand. I accepted.

"Renesmee. Call me 'Nessie'."

His hand was a little colder than mine, but had a wave of heat boiling underneath. It made me a little thirsty. I pulled back my hand and managed to calm myself down very quickly. It was hard though, with his heat next to my face when we were sharing the same book. I looked down on the bracelet that Jacob braided for me years ago, I remembered the moment he gave it to me along with the locket that my mom bought for me. The moment of happiness behind the disastrous crisis that threatened to end my family once. It worked. I was calmed and the heat of Martie's skin no longer bothered me.

I was only half-paying attention to the class when the professor asked me a question.

"Ms. Cullen?"

I turned to face him immediately. "Yes, sir?"

"Ms. Cullen, I don't know what your school was like up in Alaska, but here we pay endless attention to class. I asked if you could tell us who was the first president of the United States, his time of reign and what he started out as."

Of course I knew that. My family had definitely overprepared me, and I loved reading history books. It only took a second to remember the answer.

"It was George Washington. He began as a farmer of his family business and became president in 1789 up till retirement in 1797."

He nodded in impression. "Nice answer, Ms. Cullen. You've clearly studied."

I nodded in acknowledgement.

Martie whispered this time. "Hey, would you like to join me and my friends at lunch?"

I thought about that. I was supposed to be sitting with my family and Jacob, but wouldn't it be okay if I sat with some normal people too? I mean, he asked me to, so to be polite I shouldn't decline. Plus I wanted to make normal human friends for a change.

I whispered back.

"Yeah, sure, I like that. Although I do need to talk to my brothers and sisters that I won't be sitting with them."

"Oh, right. There are eight of them, ain't that right?"

"Actually no, seven - the other one is a family friend."

"Still close enough."

I laughed.

The cafeteria was crowded with people. I looked around and found most of my family sitting at a table against a corner. Only Alice, Jasper, Tommy and Jacob were missing. Whispers about us spread and echoed like loud speakers. Mostly about how attractive we looked, but some of the whispers weren't quite as pleasant.

"What would you like to have, Nessie?" Martie asked, breaking my concentration.

I picked the first thing in front of me. An apple. After taking a soda and a small plate of salad, I followed him to a table with two boys and three girls. I looked over to my family's table, where Tommy, Alice and Jasper were on their way to join them. I couldn't be sure if they wanted me to be with them or with someone else. I turned to Dad for question.

He smiled and nodded in my direction.

I smiled back, and turned away.

"Hey, guys," Martie greeted his friends. "This is Nessie, she just moved here from Alaska." He pointed his arm to the masculine blonde boy next to him. "This is Mark, he's the quarterback of the Bobcats."

"Hey," he waved politely at me.

"This is my cousin, Julie," Martie introduced the girl next to Mark, and then turned to the boy in black curly hair. "That's Rick."

"And I'm available if you want a date sometime," Rick said loudly.

Martie and some of his unnamed friends rolled their eyes.

"And he's a teaser. Ignore him, we do."

The brunette offered her hand. "I'm Danielle, the head cheerleader. You know, application form is still available if you're interested in cheerleading."

"Thanks, I might just consider that," I replied with a smile.

"Hi, I'm Katherine," the silky blonde haired girl introduced herself.

"Hm, that's a very beautiful name."

Julie snorted.

"Really? I always thought it's old."

Martie pulled open my chair for me, and I sat quickly. He went on to settle down on my right side. I was quick to pick up the conversation.

"Katherine means 'pure', referring to a girl that has a golden heart."

"Yeah, and with blonde hair," Rick joked.

The others laughed.

"So, Nessie, are those your brothers and sisters?"

I looked over my shoulder to my family. Emmett and Rosalie looked like they were sharing a conversation with Alice and Jasper, but it was easy to notice the way they kept eyeing in my direction. Rosalie looked proud, like she'd seen someone wear her finest work. Emmett's eyes were teasing and comfortable. Alice and Jasper looked at me with smiles. Tommy was the only one that was frowning. Dad stroke a conversation to draw away their attention.

"Yeah," I answered as I turned away.

"How come you don't look alike?" Danielle asked.

"That's because we're all adopted. Only Jasper and Rosalie are twins, and Bella is my biological sister." I said through the memory of our arranged alibi.

"Which one is which?" Katherine asked directly.

"The blonde boy and girl are Jasper and Rosalie. The long brunette girl is my sister, Bella. The boy beside her is our distant cousin, Edward. And if you're wondering about the chatty black-haired tiny girl, that's Alice."

"Wow, they're all so gorgeous," Katherine mumbled.

"What about the black gladiator and the depressed Asian boy?" Danielle asked this time. Her eyes focused on Emmett.

"The big bold guy is Emmett, and the Asian is Tommy. My mom and dad adopted him recently, so he's still not very used to being around us."

"Wow. Kinda great of your parents, you know, taking care of eight adolescent teenagers at the same time."

"Hey, didn't you say you have a family friend going here as well?" Martie asked.

Now that he mentioned it, I realized I hadn't seen Jacob yet. I looked around the room, but despite my improved sight, it was a little hard to look through the crowd. Finally, he entered the cafeteria and spotted me with my new friends.

"Oh, yeah, he's like totally hot," Julie commented. "Tall, dark, and handsome. Hehehe! Think his name is Jason."

I looked back to correct her.

"His name's Jacob."

She shot a look of hidden offense at me. I quickly turned to Martie.

"Would you mind if I ask him to join us?"

"Uh, no, of course not," he replied.

I stood from my seat and walked toward Jacob, who was deciding his lunch at the food counter.

"I'll have the lasagna, thank you," he ordered.

I waited for a few seconds as he paid for his tray of food. When he was finally done, I approached him.

"Hey."

"Hey," he reflected, and focused his eyes on Martie and his friends. "I see you're already making some new friends."

I grinned at that.

"Would you mind sitting with us then?"

"Sure."

We went back to the table, Jacob pulled out a free chair from a still empty table, and settled next to me. He introduced himself, and then Martie started asking questions about his relationship with my family. Casual conversations built among us, but half of them were topics either about me or Jacob. Katherine, Danielle and Julie continuously shot flirty looks at him. I couldn't help but feel very disturbed. I turned to my family now and then, and spotted them eating and drinking their food. I knew it was because Tommy's gift cloaked them from the rest of the cafeteria to make it look like they were eating.

"You did good," Dad said as we walked into the hall after lunch. "Some of the kids already like you."

"Thanks, _Edward_." I turned a little more serious then. "How's Tommy doing?"

"He's doing fine so far, but he can't seem to restrain himself of desire when someone comes too close, even with his gift he's having a hard time shaking off the urges completely. I'll have to make Jasper persuade the coach not to let him play today."

"Hm, with that powerful gift of his, I'm sure he can fake sickness to get away."

He grinned at my joke.

"I'll see you later, I got English with Jacob next." I separated from him and walked further down the hall.

I had expected to find Jacob in the English classroom, but he was outside. His shoulder was leaned against the wall beside the door.

"Had fun hanging out with Edward?" he asked teasingly.

Instead of telling him about it, I went straight into the bustling classroom. He tagged along shortly. We settled down at a table near the windows.

"So how do you feel about school so far?" he asked curiously.

"It's all right," I answered with a grin. "I can't believe you hate school."

"Well, that's only because you're new in this area. Of course, school can be fun too."

The teacher asked for our attention as soon as he entered. We spent the hour listening to the teacher's words without talking. Sometimes, Jacob's eyes went sleepy and I had to punch him lightly on the rib to keep him awake. Every now and then, Jacob or I would be asked to answer a few questions. While Jacob had a hard time coming up with answer, I just enjoyed the annoyance of his face. He was so cute in the non-childish way. I had no problem with the questions, it only took seconds for me to come up with the right answers.

Gym was boring the life out of me, and Uncle Emmett. We had to constantly be aware of our speeds and strengths to keep from breaking the balls and raising questions.

After gym was over, Alice met up with us outside the door.

"Bored you out, didn't it?" she asked.

Uncle Emmett nodded, his frown deep. I just nodded lightly. Her smile grew wider.

"You know, school is about to end in an hour. And there's a thunderstorm coming around six tonight, so what do you say we play some baseball?"

"Hell yeah!" Uncle Emmett responded with instant enthusiasm, the previous boredom on his face completely wiped off.

Rosalie just smiled with the same enthusiasm. And I was a way more excited about that than gym.


	4. Baseball

**CHAPTER 4 - BASEBALL**

_**Please review this chapter if you like it. A little encouragement could be helpful.**_

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><p><strong>Renesmee<strong>

My first school day ended faster than I would have liked. Martie and I exchanged cellphone numbers to keep in touch outside of school. Everyone waited for me and Jacob in the parking lot.

"Do you wanna play baseball with us tonight?" I asked Jacob as we prepared to separate.

"Sure, that'll be fun," he answered with a large grin on his face. "When are you going? I'll come by to meet you guys."

I smiled wider.

"We're leaving around six."

"I'll be there five thirty."

We hugged each other goodbye.

We drove home taking casual conversations. Most of the topics were questions from Mom, Aunt Alice and Aunt Rosalie asking how I felt about school today when they weren't there to watch over me. I had to say it actually felt great to be normal and make some normal friends for a change. Somehow even better than I imagined, and the fact that my best friend was there as well just made it perfect. Dad seemed to be displeased by something, but he didn't say what it was. Aunt Alice told the story about how Tommy got upset at a classmate who spoke unpleasant things about him and used his power to make him see some fire that suddenly disappeared in the next second - only because Mom shielded him from the illusion and Uncle Jasper calmed him down before he did something stupid and reckless. Aunt Rosalie yelled at him for being irresponsible with his actions, but he did not counter. I could only imagine what he would be capable of doing if Mom couldn't block him.

When we were living in Alaska, Eleazar explained that his gift was far more powerful than Kate, Jane, Alec and Zafrina combined, because he could make anyone see, feel, hear, taste, and smell exactly what he wanted. He could make someone think they were hearing voices, seeing something that wasn't there, or even make them think they were drowning underwater. He wouldn't otherwise have been given the responsibility to make a lunch charade for us at school, excluding me and Jacob. Unlike them, we did need to eat.

Once we were home, Aunt Alice told Grandma and Grandpa about tonight's baseball game. Grandma prepared some food for me and Jacob, while Mom and Dad found the equipment. Aunt Rosalie went to find some suitable outfit for baseball that would reflect her beauty. Grandpa had some work left, so he had to finish them before leaving.

And I went to change my outfit in my wardrobe. After fifteen minutes of no luck finding an appropriate pair of jacket, sweater and jeans, I gave up.

I looked up to the ceiling and called the one person I didn't want help from when it came to fashion.

"Aunt Alice!"

She was next to me in a second.

"Having trouble finding appropriate clothes, huh, Nessie?" she asked with excitement.

I nodded.

"Here. Let me help you." She began searching through the hangars. When she found a black-sleeved blue jacket, she moved on to the drawers and found a set of indigo blue jeans and a thick white sweater.

I hoped that she was done, but knew she wasn't when she turned to looking for shoes.

"Well, stop looking and start changing, Jacob's gonna be here any minute," she urged.

I pulled off my clothes and changed as fast as I could. By the time I was done, Aunt Alice had found _her _perfect set of shoes.

"Perfect for looks and runs," she commented. "Endurable."

I put them on, and then headed into the living room. Five twenty. Everything was already set, so there was nothing for me to do except wait. I found a random novel in a bookshelf and started reading on the couch, waiting for the next minutes. When I heard engine roar outside the house, I threw the book aside and leaped across the living room out to the porch and stopped. There he was, turning off the engine of his Rabbit. I waited till he disembarked to run toward him. He opened his arms as I closed our distance and then wrapped around my back.

"Hey, beautiful," he said in my ear.

"Hi," I said, trying to be casual about the word, though I liked the way he said it. It sounded so natural yet refreshing.

"Yo, let's go" Uncle Emmett urged.

A little reluctantly, I pulled off Jacob's arms and turned to my family on the porch. Uncle Emmett had a set of aluminum baseball bats sticking out from his backpack. I turned to Jacob for a minute, about to pull him into the forest. Then something struck me as fast as a half second. My eyes automatically scanned his outfit. The thought cleared very quickly. Jacob wasn't as _fast_ as us in human form, and he needed to phase in order to catch up. And that included protecting his clothes from getting exploded to pieces the moment he turned into a humongous wolf. It would take a minute for him to strip and phase, and another for him to become human again and put his clothes back on.

I thought as fast as I could, and then turned to Dad. "Please?" I asked openly.

Everyone turned to him with confused expressions caused by our one-way conversation. He smiled in my direction.

"You can catch up with us," he permitted. "The field is about fifteen miles, so you just have to follow our scents to find us. We'll see you soon."

"Thank you, Dad, I love you," I said wholeheartedly.

Mom looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"She wants to slow down for Jacob so he wouldn't have to phase, and us to go on ahead," he answered her thoughts.

"Oh," she mumbled and shot a smile at me. Aunt Rosalie didn't look too pleased, but she didn't look angry either.

Dad dragged everyone into the forest. Jacob and I followed on a much, _much_, slower pace, barely faster than human. Soon, they were gone, and we followed their trail.

"Seriously, you don't have to walk with me," he tried to assure me. "I could just phase and catch up with you. It's no big deal."

"I know, but I didn't want you to have to take off your clothes -"my voice flinched a little bit, why I didn't know "- and put them on again. That would be quite troublesome. Besides, I like walking with you."

His lips lifted into a large smile. "You do?"

I nodded. His smile grew bigger.

"Hey, Nessie, guess what?"

"What?" I asked.

"I like walking with you, too. I love doing everything with you."

My heart started beating faster and my cheeks flushed. What was wrong with me? Jacob had always been my best friend. We loved hanging out together, yet there was something with his words that somehow triggered a small new sensation within me. It ran like a stream through my blood and touched my heart. It felt so good I could probably choke on it. I didn't know that I'd lost my breath until I started gasping.

"Hey, are you okay?" Jacob asked, his smile turned to worry.

I nodded and tried to say as casual as possible. "I'm fine."

"Did I say something wrong?"

"No." Of course he didn't. Why would he say something wrong?

I shook off the sensation with a more appropriate topic. "Come on, we've got miles to go before six. Better get some speed up."

I held out my hand in invitation. He gave my favorite smile and took it. The heat of his hand sent the same sensation through my arm up to my chest again. My heart started pounding faster again.

And he'd heard that.

"Nessie, your heart is beating faster, are you okay?" he asked.

I nodded. "I'm fine. Let's go."

We walked faster then, hiking through the forest with their trail and striking casual conversations the whole way. A couple of times, he would try and persuade me to move on ahead, but I stayed behind, never letting go of his hand. Being near him was ever so natural I never had to question why I wanted him with me nor did I want to. The sensation never ceased, though my heart had slowed down. I didn't know what it was, but I liked it. It felt too good not to.

The storm hit after we walked six miles.

We stopped following their scents when we were half a mile away from their location. I could already hear them in the playing field. And I knew Jacob could, too.

"Let's go," I told him.

He grinned cockily, and then we darted into the field half as fast as human runs. The moment we came out of the trees, Uncle Emmett hit a ball up into the air and Uncle Jasper leaped twenty feet to catch it.

Grandpa was the pitcher, I assumed correctly; Dad was the catcher and Grandma stood closely behind him, umpire; Tommy was in- and outfielder along with Uncle Jasper. Mom stood on the first base; Aunt Rosalie second, and Aunt Alice third.

"Hey," Jacob said loudly, knowing they would hear.

"Took you long enough, the game's already started," Uncle Emmett complained. "Don't want my little niece to spend all of her time with a stinking dog."

Though his accusation was just a harmless joke, I didn't like it. "Watch it, Uncle Emmett. I was just thinking that wrestling would be my perfect quality time with you after the game, but..."

"Okay! Okay! Okay, I'm sorry, Jacob," Uncle Emmett interrupted abruptly, acting anxious.

"Apology accepted," he replied lightly.

**Jacob**

"Thomas and Jasper are the fielders, but you two can take the inner field," Carlisle divided us.

Once we spread across the field, Emmett hit the ball into the air again. My eyes focused on it as it flew. Once it flew close enough, my feet bounced and lifted my body high up in the air. My arm reached for the flying ball. There was no escape for it, my palm would catch it the moment it came in between its course.

Then my hand hit something. A hand came in between, blocking my way and intercepted the ball. My eyes flickered to her, Nessie, smiling ever so happy and carefree. She launched agilely with her arm and threw the ball to Bella, who caught it with her hands right before Emmett reached the first base. We landed in a second. She laughed like ringing bell in the thunder.

"Nice catch, Nessie!" Blondie complimented.

Yes, she was amazing. To everyone and me. Her mother, Bella, was amazing too. That was what drew me to her seven years ago, her kindness and determination and ability to handle the supernatural made her more extraordinary than most people; and Nessie got that from her.

We played for three hours, the thunderstorm echoed powerfully like the cheer on a baseball stadium. Thomas made a few athletic flips as while catching the ball - such a show-off. Although he did manage to flip out of Emmett's way before he hit him.

Nessie was the pitcher now, and I was the catcher. Esme stood in front of me with his bat over my head. She held the ball in her both hands at her waist, and then threw it in my direction. I could see it , flying straight toward me. It looked like it was floating naturally in my direction. Esme swung her bat, but missed the ball by an inch, and it flew right into my hand as I caught it.

I waved it in front of Nessie. "Woohoo! Nice throw, Nessie!"

"Nice catch!" she reflected.


	5. Mythology

**CHAPTER 5 - MYTHOLOGY**

_**Please review this chapter if you like it. A little encouragement could be helpful.**_

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><p><strong>Jacob<strong>

Everyone prepared to leave for home after the game. The storm had begun to pass, in the forest anyway. Emmett wasn't very happy with his loss, but Jasper made sure to calm him down before he could smack at someone. I doubted Thomas and Edward wouldn't have tried to stop him though. Thomas could take on an entire group of newborn vampires if he wanted. Plus, he'd always liked to make fun of Emmett.

"Easy on the thoughts, Jacob," Edward forewarned gently as he approached me. "You don't wanna set him off."

No, of course I didn't want that.

Bella approached us, and held Edward's hand. "Come on, let's go home."

The day was ending so quickly. Couldn't I at least have a few more minutes with Nessie? Just a few more. Ten. Fifteen.

"All right, fifteen minutes," Edward answered my rhetorical question. "It's still what you want."

I followed them to the others at the end of the field.

"Carlisle, do you mind if we go ahead first and let Jacob and Nessie spend a little more time together?" Edward asked for Carlisle's permission.

"Sure," he answered with a gentle voice.

Nessie flashed a wide grin at me, like this was what she wanted too. Edward came in between our eyes to interrupt.

"Fifteen minutes, then you come running home," he ordered.

"Yes, Dad," she snorted.

"Don't miss your bath," Bella ordered now.

"I won't, Mom. Neither will I miss my wrestling match with Uncle Emmett."

Emmett shined with a laugh. "I'll be waiting for you at home."

With that, everyone departed. I turned to Nessie and held out my hand, she took it without hesitation. I didn't say it outloud, the touch of her hand sent a warmth that ran up to my arm.

We walked to a wide round lake. I didn't bother to see how big it was.

Nessie sat on the wet grass and I knelt on my knees beside her and looked at her sheepishly. We didn't say anything for a minute, just letting the wet breeze blow past our skins, soaking up in our pores. The way her hair blew back from her face looked like a Greek goddess - Venus, specifically. Her chocolate eyes flickered turned in my direction, and then her face turned to me.

"What?" she asked.

I looked away with a chuckle. "Nothing. I-I was just thinking about some lame Greek mythology I learned from school."

"What Greek mythology?"

I didn't dare to look at her, so I stared on the ground and placed my fingers on it.

"Please, tell me?"

Ouch. That did it. When she asked for something, I had to give it to her. It went against the grain; no, it went against my existence not to give her whatever she wanted.

"I was thinking about how much you look like Venus, the goddess of love. It said that she was very beautiful and vain, pretty much like your Aunt Rosalie."

Her lips lifted up to a smile and turned to the lake for a minute before turning to me again.

"You know, I never liked Venus. And for the record, it was Roman mythology. The Greek goddess of love is Aphrodite."

That would have sent me laughing if I wasn't so curious. "Why don't you like her?"

Her lips softened a tiny bit.

"Tommy told me of this tale a while ago about Cupid and Psyche..." her words trailed off, as if she was having a hard time finding the right words. Then, she held out her hand. " Here, I'll show you."

I leaned closer till her hand touched my cheek. Vivid pictures flashed through my mind as the story played itself out of Nessie's memory.

A beautiful brown haired young woman - Psyche, I presumed - walked in the streets of an ancient city. Everywhere she passed, men stared at her like they'd been charmed by her beauty. Her appearance reminded me of Rosalie. The pictures shifted to a cloud sky where a beautiful blonde goddess observing the young woman through a human-height magic mirror. Her creased blue eyes expressed jealousy and hatred. Standing behind her was a masculine blonde man with a set of large angelic wings attached to his back, and carried an arrow bow and a quiver of golden arrows - Cupid. Venus turned to him, stepped aside and pointed at Psyche in the mirror. The image shifted to Psyche sleeping comfortably in her bed chamber, and Cupid stood at the window readying to shoot her with a love arrow. Psyche shifted to another side of the bed now, and the dim moonlight shone upon her face like a pale goddess, and that stunned Cupid to the core as his determined expression turned to hesitation, and lowered his weapons: the enchanting beauty of Psyche had captured his heart. His head dropped like a disgraced soldier and left the chamber in shame. Venus shrieked angrily at Cupid's failure in her chamber, he was kneeling in front of her when she shrieked. She turned to the magic mirror and waved her hand at it, revealing Psyche's face. She pointed her hand at the mirror; golden sparkles sparked from her palm. A black aura suddenly appeared and wrapped around the unsuspecting Psyche's body. As Cupid saw this, his expression shifted from shame to deep rooted pain.

In the next picture, Psyche woke up to find herself in a wide and beautiful Roman bed chamber. She walked out of the chamber to see a palace that reminded me of Greek palaces from history books. The walls and ceilings were covered with magneficent, beautiful Roman patterns, too fresh to be like the ancient duplicates.

In the now dark chamber, Psyche waited patiently under the sheets. The closed doors opened, and Cupid stood outside, his face disguised by the shadows. Psyche twisted her head to try and see his face, but the darkness clouded her vision completely. She began to stand, but Cupid raised a hand to restrain her. She obeyed. For a minute, they didn't do anything, until Cupid's feet dragged him into the chamber and the door closed itself without any trigger.

Cupid leaned in closer to Psyche as she leans backward on the bed, looking scared but not resisting. He continued to lean in until his lips touched her forehead, then moved gently down to her lips and neck. He pealed off the sheet around her while she removed his clothes.

That part cut off before it could reveal anything else. Thank God.

In the middle of the night, Cupid was sleeping comfortably in their bed. Psyche carefully lit a lamp at her bed table, then lifted it over Cupid to reveal his face. The sight of his blonde hair and his straight cheekbones were matched with his muscular shoulder and chest. His perfectly designed lips were hidden behind golden mustache, yet he was as handsome and attractive as the vampires I'd met. He was so beautiful that Psyche found herself unable to remove her eyes from him, the previous worry and curiosity replaced with instant fascination and love. She leaned in with her head slowly and silently down to his lips. An oil drop from the lamp fell down on his shoulder - the burn forced him from his unconsciousness and witness Psyche and the lamp in her hand. The same one that he horrifically realized had revealed his true face. Mixture of anger, shock and pain overflowed him as he put on his clothes and left the chamber. Psyche fell on the floor in tears, pained to the core of her heart and alone, loveless.

I was instantly reminded of my heartbreak over Bella before Nessie came into the picture. The time when I tried my hardest to fight Edward for her and failed with all efforts, the time when I wanted to live out my life as a wolf rather than Jacob, when I wanted to escape.

Psyche wandered down a dark world now, darker than anything I've seen with my own eyes. Darker than the nightly sky above. There was nothing living in the withered pathway, trees withered completely, waters black as death itself. Not the prettiest sight. Psyche didn't look scared though, she moved forward toward some unknown goal - I had a slight feeling that she was determined to find her lover again. The path ended at an endlessly wide lake, accompanied by nothing but a little wooden boat and an old ferryman. She hesitated for a second, then embarked the little boat and ferryman sailed off. Her eyes were focused on the lake ahead, not seeing the withered human souls under the waters. Or at least trying to avoid seeing them. Then, it shifted to a wide open meadow under a warm sun with Psyche holding a black box in her hands. When she opened the lid, a mysterious black smoke escaped and dived into her body through her eyes, ears, mouth and nose. Her hands dropped the box that automatically shut the lid again, and Psyche fell to her demise. Cupid saw this through the magic mirror. Fear, shock, pain, any imaginable negative feeling poured out from his expression. He flew down to her in the next shift of images. He supported Psyche's head with one arm and held his free hand over her face. The black smoke emerged from her eyes, nose, ears and mouth and returned to the box; and she woke up a few seconds later. Her eyes lit like flames at the sight of her long-missed husband, and vice versa. Cupid pulled her into his embrace. Tears welled down his cheeks. Psyche, on the other hand, only expressed joy. A view of clouds faded in and revealed a sky full of angelic-looking gods and goddesses; Cupid and Psyche stood in front of a man with a large beard and long white hair. His clothing seemingly shined with glory and grace. Zeus, perhaps?

Psyche looked different in certain ways now. First, she was more beautiful than before, the features of her face were more elegant. Second, her body emitted a golden aura over her body, just like the rest of the watching gods.

The beautifully decorated scenery looked much like a royal wedding. My suspicion was proven right when Cupid and Psyche ended the ceremony with the seal of a passionate kiss. Cheers hit the heavens like explosions and incredulous fireworks surrounded the sky.

The movie cut off as Nessie balled her hand into a fist.

"Wow" I released with a breath. "That was something. Was that man in the last scene Zeus?"

She nodded. "Although you have it wrong. Zeus is in Greek mythology, his Roman incarnation is Jupiter."

I chuckled, then cleared my throat, but kept my grin, to ask a question. "Is that what Thomas showed you?"

"Pretty much almost every picture," she answered, and added. "That's why I don't like Venus so much. She's the cause of the trouble they went through."

My grin grew. "It's just fable, Nessie. You don't have to believe it."

"Still doesn't mean you have to like all the characters. I mean, even you have someone you don't like, right?"

I considered that. She was right, I had hated a few beings in existence - vampire or human. And someone else that I used to hate more than anyone else in the world, though that was long behind us. "Yeah, you could say that. Okay! I see your point."

We sat there for a few minutes, until I broke the silence. Though I would have liked to sit with her some more, getting her back in time was more important.

"C'mon, you're gonna get both of us into trouble if you don't start running soon," I advised.

She sighed.

"Yeah, you're probably right. But let's keep it slow-... -_er_. Cuz I don't want you to ruin your clothes."

She stood and started walking toward the forest. I dragged my feet forward, and ran past her into the thick woods. Then, she crouched and ran. It didn't take long before she caught up to me. My human speed wasn't as fast as when I was wolf, but as long as I could be with my Nessie, I'll endure anything.

She ran ten meters past me, but kept in eye shot and didn't bother to outrun me. Every now and then she flashed large cheerful grins at me, like she was having as much fun with me as I was with her. Her hair flew back by the forceful breeze suddenly made me realize how beautiful she'd become. She was as beautiful as Psyche in the pictures, except she was more elegant, graceful and wonderful than any other person alive. To me, she was my goddess. The only one who held me in place and complete.


	6. Friendships Are Hard

**CHAPTER 6 - FRIENDSHIPS ARE HARD**

_**Please review this chapter if you like it. A little encouragement could be helpful.**_

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><p><strong>Renesmee<strong>

I woke up early to prepare for my second day at school. Grandma baked several plates of scrumptious breakfast pancakes before leaving for work, and Grandpa left early for the hospital. Aunt Alice and Aunt Rosalie sat at the living room table discussing decorations for Aunt Rosalie's wardrobe with their laptops, Uncle Emmett and Uncle Jasper played chess, with Uncle Emmett on the upper hand. Mom and Dad wished me good morning as they made their way to the bookshelf. And Tommy joined me at the table and took a bite out of a pancake. Or that was what I thought.

"Quit faking, Tommy," I said.

The pancake in his hand dissipated.

"What? I can't enjoy a nice little pancake?" he teased.

"In your mind maybe, but this is _my_ breakfast."

He snorted, then turned a little serious. "You're lucky, girl. Wish I could eat. Chocolate was my favorite human treat."

"Okay, everyone, time to go," Mom said while putting away her book. Aunt Alice and Aunt Rosalie put away their laptops and left the table. Tommy just flew through the door without a word. And I took a last chew on my pancakes, then grabbed my bag and darted after them.

Right after Biology, Martie came up behind me while I was organizing my references. Tommy left the table before he could reach us, growling quietly.

"Hi, Nessie," he greeted very friendly.

"Hi," I responded.

"That was a very nice answer you got. How'd you know the differences between a biosphere and the atmosphere? None of us could figure that out."

I preferred to be as honest as I could without revealing too much about what I and my family were, so I used the most obvious answer. "Edward and Bella are well educated, they taught me everything. I was home-schooled all my life."

His eyes widened in surprise. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, this is actually my first semester at an actual school."

"Wow, it must be very new to you then. Going to a place with lotsa people learning things, I mean," he said in a low voice.

I couldn't disagree with him there. "You have no idea."

Jacob and I sat with Martie's friends at lunch again. My family watched with a mixture of pride and worry from their table. Katherine and Danielle made small conversations with me, but otherwise asked questions about my family or spoke with Jacob about his life. They seemed more interested in him than they were to me yesterday. Not that I was jealous, but it still didn't feel good. Mark tried to persuade Jacob to join the football team, but he declined as lightly as possible. Julie was more interested in seeing how I would do in a cheerleader squad. "I could be your recommendation for try-out if you're interested."

I couldn't quite grasp why I would be interested, but perhaps it could help me try something new at school. Cheerleading didn't seem appetizing, but perhaps trying wouldn't be so bad.

"Sure," I answered.

"Ahh! Great, okay, it's on Thursday," she giggled excitedly.

Rick pepped my shoulder to get my attention.

"Hey, Nessie, about your sister, Rosalie," he asked. "I think she's really beautiful. Do you think I could try and talk to her?"

I shrugged. "That's not for you to decide. She's with Emmett."

"What?" Katherine asked, stunned.

Rick turned to me like he'd been shocked.

Danielle shrugged. "That's gross. They're brother and sister."

Why that was irritating. I felt offended by their way of judgement. I wanted to say more.

"Only by paper work, not by blood," Jacob interrupted and shot a glance in my direction. He must have intercepted my irritation and tried to correct them for me. It must have worked. Danielle and Katherine turned to a different conversation with each other, Rick glanced at Aunt Rosalie for a few seconds and then turned to Mark and Jacob.

Once I calmed down, I gave the idea a thought.

Yes, to other people it would be weird enough just by seeing how many siblings attend the same school together. Of course it would be weirder to see siblings as couples even though they were not related biologically. Oh, this wasn't gonna end well.

_Relax, Nessie, if they dislike you, don't be friends with them._

I looked to them again. Tommy's voice was what echoed in my head, but didn't he only have one gift? I looked at him in shock and curiosity. Dad whispered to him. About my thoughts, apparently.

_This is the same trick. I'm just making you think you're hearing something. Relax, I'm reflecting the words in my power._

This began to feel a little disturbing. But at least he couldn't invade my mind to intercept my thoughts. I heard Dad whisper to Tommy again. And then he burst into laughs so loud that everyone in the cafeteria could hear him.

I shook my head in disbelief. What was he thinking?

"Hey, what's with your brother, he's acting weird," Martie asked. His eyes were focused on Tommy like they were seeing a maniac.

I sighed and muttered. "Yeah, he likes to crack himself up."

Danielle whispered to Katherine, thinking I wouldn't hear. "Uh, you know, I have Literature with that weirdo. He doesn't talk, and he likes laughs for no apparent reason."

Katherine sighed.

"A family of weirdos."

Gosh! That was infuriating. How dare they talk like that about my family? My throat began to feel dry and burning, like I wanted to bite their heads off. Though I was angry at their accusation, I knew well enough that it wouldn't solve any problem.

I inhaled the air to calm myself down. It worked. The thirst disappeared as quickly as it came.

BANG!

I looked over my shoulder to find the shockwave that violently trembled the table and found Jacob's rested on the table.

"Don't you say something like that about the Cullens, you don't have a clue what you're talking about," he gritted through his teeth.

Katherine and Danielle stared at him in fear. The others just looked in shock.

His eyebrows creased together, his fist gripped together and shook violently, almost like the bones could crush through his skin. His usual innocence hidden in the deepest depths of his mind. I had never seen him so angry before, nor had I seen him more gracious about my family. Though he was angry, I didn't find myself frightened, rather I was stunned and a little dazzled. This side of him looked somewhat sexy and dangerous, yet tame and beautiful.

I suddenly felt the desire to approach him and touch his chest.

He looked away and closed his eyes, trying to retain his calm. His fist stopped shaking in an instant, though he didn't look back until about twenty seconds passed. Then, he grabbed his tray and left the table as fast as he could walk normally. I gave Katherine and Danielle a short cold look before following Jacob. Dad, Mom, Aunt Rosalie, Aunt Alice, Tommy, Uncle Emmett and Uncle Jasper glanced at me on my way out. Most of them showed concern, but Tommy's displayed uncaring, as if what happened with my new friends was perfectly normal to him.

**Jacob**

I rushed into the hall and struggled to keep myself from losing control.

_Don't lose it, don't lose it,_ I told myself.

I rushed as fast as I could manage at human speed until I was out of the front doors. The yard was bustling with students and attendees, just like the cafeteria. I inhaled the fresh air to calm myself further, and then I was completely tame.

"Jacob?" a familiar voice called behind me.

It lightened my mood like a rushing change of tides. The sound of her voice, the sight of her smile, the thought of seeing her always made my day.

"Are you okay?" Nessie asked.

"Yeah," I mumbled. "Sorry about that."

Her eyes creased in question. "About what?"

"You know, in the cafeteria..." my voice trailed off.

"Don't worry about it. To be honest, I was quite pissed myself. If you hadn't said anything, I would've." Her lips lightened up like to a smile. "So thank you, Jacob."

Her grin enchanted me, lifted my guilt so quickly that I smiled back. "You're welcome, Ness."

Then she turned hesitant, and I began to feel nervous. "And for what it's worth, I thought you were kinda hot in there."

A breath escaped my lungs, and then I laughed.

I was hot! To Nessie? Oh, wow! That had got to be the news of the decade. I'd never thought of myself as handsome or sexy to her, and now she admitted that my loss of temper made me hot. I wondered if I would be hotter if I'd gotten angrier.

I shoved the thought aside as I struggled to calm down again. The idea of letting my temper take control was too dangerous for anybody, as much as I hated those self-absorbed girls, I knew they didn't deserve my wrath. I wasn't going to forgive them for bad-mouthing Nessie and her family though. They deserved better respect than that.

Her smile slowly faded to a light frown.

"You okay, Nessie?" I asked.

She nodded.

"I just... didn't expect it to be so hard. Making friends."

I placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't sweat it, it takes time to build friendships, you just have to be patient. I know you'll make great friends. You're an amazing person, a lot of people already like you." I rushed through the memory of the first day, and thought of the first one. "Like Martie, for instance. He's nicer than the others, both to you and to me. Edward thinks he's nice enough."

Her smile brightened at the acknowledgement.

A figure inside the main hall caught my attention, and I saw Marty coming toward us.

"Nessie, Jacob," he called, dragging Nessie's attention. "Is everything okay? I-I heard Katherine and Danielle talk about you two and your family."

I shrugged in irritation, but not at him. Just the thought of what Danielle and Katherine said.

Nessie nodded, but her smile fell again.

"It's cool."

His eyes turned away, like he was trying to piece together the words that he wanted to say properly. After a minute, he finally said it. "Nessie, I get that you've been home-schooled and no one really understands you, but give it time. Trust me, I know that."

She emitted a tiny smile again, and so was I. Yes, he was right. Nobody could expect to make friends and build great friendships in one day. Perhaps just Martie alone was good enough for her.

"Thank you, Martie," she said with a charmed voice.

"No problem."

I found Edward, Bella, Emmett, Rosalie, Thomas, Jasper and Alice standing at the stairs, looking in our direction. Emmett, Jasper and Thomas just looked calm while Edward, Bella, Rosalie Alice were smiling.

A thought suddenly occurred to me. Nessie's birthday was next week. They mostly preferred to celebrate in private, but perhaps _this_ wasn't such a bad idea.

"Hey, Martie, you know Nessie's birthday is next Sunday?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.

His eyes flickered to me for a second and then back to Nessie. "Really?"

She nodded hesitantly.

"They're going to have a private party," I continued, "but I'm sure they can make an exception."

Nessie flashed a large grin at me, like I'd read her mind.

"I can talk to my parents tonight, I'm sure they'll be happy to meet you," she told him.

His mouth opened, but no words escaped for at least six seconds. "I-I-I'd love to. Yeah, that'll be great." He thought for a second, then suggested. "Um, how about I invite a few more friends? It's a party after all."

"Sure, that'll be fun," Nessie agreed immediately.

I looked over to the others. Everyone, except Thomas, flashed large happy smiles. Rosalie was probably proud of her niece's achievement; Alice, as I knew, loved the idea of decorating. Thomas just looked un-interested, like he didn't like the idea of having a party very much. Emmett's lips bared back, showing his teeth, reflecting Jasper's expression. Edward held up a thumb - that made me blush a little. And Bella moved her lips, spelling "Thank you".


	7. Happy Birthday

**CHAPTER 7 - HAPPY BIRTHDAY**

_**Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Renesmee<strong>

In the next two weeks, Aunt Alice, Aunt Rosalie and Grandma had been obsessed with planning the party. Mom and I were practically never allowed to do anything. Aunt Alice restlessly arranged the decorations and endless plans for my appearance, Aunt Rosalie helped with the suggestions. Grandma was busy arranging food and birthday cake for me and the guests. Uncle Emmett replaced the old stereo with a new one. Since our birthdays were three days apart, they decided to celebrate on the same day. Jacob sold his Felony movie tickets through the internet to keep them from being wasted.

Great!

Martie began hanging out with me and my family at school more than, mostly sitting with us at lunch rather than with his friends and make conversations with Aunt Alice and Uncle Emmett. Aunt Rosalie seemed tolerable about him. Tommy managed to avoid his urges, though Uncle Jasper did better. Mom and Dad were just proud of having him as my friend, because Dad said his thoughts were _decent_ enough.

But then, we also fizzled out Martie's other friends. Jacob and I even decided against try-out for cheerleading and football, though it was more for caution rather than the loss of recommendation.

The part I hated most came on Friday: Going shopping with Aunt Alice.

"Aunt Alice, this is too much," I complained about the stack of outfits she'd picked out for me. "Can't we just go by something casual?"

Her flashy choice of outfit was always a pain for me and Mom. Why couldn't she just leave aside her sense of fashion on at least one special occasion that occurred both of us? I looked into the mirror at the long-sleeve purple skirt.

"Well, a birthday-girl never goes 'casual' on her big day," she countered. "Especially when we have two."

Mom came out of her side of the fitting room in a long white skirt.

"Alice, don't you think you're overdoing it just _a little_?" she complained.

"Nothing I do is ever _overdoing_. Now spin around, let me have a look."

I could tell she obeyed by the sound of light footsteps that spun in circles.

"Hm... seems like something's missing on that dress," Aunt Alice pointed, and Mom sighed in frustration. "But it looks fine enough. I'm sure I got something at the house to fill in the missing parts." Then, her attention turned to my side of the fitting room. "Okay, Nessie, I know you should be done by now. Come out and let me have a look."

I removed the curtains and stepped out to let her see the skirt on me. She held a hand under her chin as she examined. "You, on the other hand, need something more mature and lovely to look perfect. Try that yellow skirt I picked out earlier."

"Yellow," I mumbled.

She leaned past me for the skirt and handed it to me. "Now, change."

I moaned in frustration as I closed the curtains to change again.

It took two and a half hours before Aunt Alice was finally satisfied with the choosing. And then, we shopped for accessories, shoes and make-up. Mostly Aunt Alice did the picking, but we did get a chance to choose at least one thing we preferred. Mom occasionally gave me glances interpreting _"This is the hell of the undead"_.

This was going to turn into a disastrous party.

We got dressed half an-hour early, only because Aunt Alice wanted to cut an album of this day for us. Aunt Rosalie helped do our hair and accessories, and I was overjoyed when she didn't replace my golden locket. Instead she went on to picking out hairclips and earrings. Dad composed some songs for the party while Grandpa took away any photo or painting that might make the guests raise questions about us. Uncle Emmett, Uncle Jasper and Tommy helped with the decorations - Tommy loved showing off his agility and caution by jumping around the roof without breaking anything. Uncle Emmett tried to prove the same, and ended up breaking down the ceiling in his and Aunt Rosalie's bedroom. They managed to fix it before Grandma came home with the two-level cake. She added some simple spice, chocolate and fruit to make it lovelier than it already was. Though it was a bit overdoing, I loved Grandma's cooking very much.

Aunt Alice's fashion sense was another story though. At least Aunt Rosalie wouldn't force us to dress like we were experimented guinea pigs, but she treated us like we were two obedient hounds that would do anything their owner demanded.

After everyone was finally done with the food preparation, decorations and fashion-maniatic torment on us, they went to change. I relaxed on the sofa with Mom, whom I knew was as mentally exhausted as I was.

"Your Aunt Alice is very dedicated to her sense of fashion," she said quietly in my ear.

I moaned, "No kidding. She just likes to torment us with clothes and beauty products."

She responded with a laugh. And then, everyone emerged with new outfits. Aunt Alice had a black long skirt with a set of black shoes and a matching head bow; Aunt Rosalie a white skirt matched by a yellow shirt and a set of white shoes, her hair all curled up in a ponytail. Uncle Jasper changed to a gray sweater with black pants; and Uncle Emmett switched his dirty torn sweater and jeans with an indigo shirt and black pants. Grandma wore a sweet colored dress with matching earrings and shoes. Grandma changed only his pitch black sweater to dark blue.

Tommy only wore a simple white sweater and a pair of blue jeans - he never allowed Aunt Alice to mutate him into dressing the way she wanted, no matter how many times she threatened him. At times, he would threaten to hide behind me or Jacob and strike without her ability to keep track of his moves. Of course Mom would cover her to keep his power at bay.

Tires sounded outside the house. A new excitement nearly overwhelmed me as I leaped from the sofa to the door, and opened to see Jacob on his new Harley Davidson. He had a black shirt followed by a pair of black jeans that could pass for any party. He turned off the engine, and then I ran across the porch into his arms.

"Hey, Jacob," I said out loud.

"Happy birthday, Nessie," he murmured in my ear. A moan escaped his throat for unknown reasons. We stood like this for a long minute, his body was so warm that I never want to let go. Another throat cleared and we pulled away. Dad looked somewhat upset at Jacob, though I didn't know why. He'd never had a problem with Jacob hugging me.

"Nessie, the guests'll arrive soon," he said with a calm voice. "Why don't you come on in. You too, Jacob."

We nodded at the same time. I began to walk toward the door.

"Just a minute," Jacob said, interrupting my walk. "Got you a present."

I hadn't noticed he brought a gift.

He removed a black cloth placed in front of his seat and handed me a wrapped white box that hid under it. The gift was a thin book wrapped in plastic, entitled "Eros and Psyche" by Holly Woodward. It was perfect. I'd wanted to read the tale since Tommy showed me his "fantasies", but never told anyone about it.

"I thought if you hadn't..." his words trailed off, and nervously looked into my eyes. "Well, I can take it back if you don't want it."

I shook my head and grinned largely at him. "Thank you, Jacob. It's actually perfect."

His lips lifted into my favorite smile and placed his arms softly around my waist. I wrapped mine around his shoulders. The warmth of his skin bathed mine like sunlight, wrapping tightly around half of my body. It was so comfortable and smooth that I was almost buried in it.

"Nessie," Dad interrupted again.

We immediately removed our arms, but kept our hands in touch and headed into the house and hung out in the living room.

After about ten minutes, car tires and engine roars reached the house.

"Martie and his friends are here," Dad confirmed.

I leaped from the sofa to the door again, and opened to Martie, who was leading four other strangers across the porch.

"Welcome to the Cullen residence," I greeted.

"Happy birthday, Nessie," he said and turned to introduce his friends. "Kelly, Kevin, Melinda, Oliver, this is Nessie. Nessie, these are my friends from out of town, Kelly, Kevin, Melinda and Oliver."

I waved politely at them and made way for them to enter. Martie entered last and handed me a present as thin and tall as a DVD box wrapped in a blue paper. "Happy birthday. It's a DVD, hope you'll like it."

I looked at him for a short moment. "Thanks."

His friends greeted and wished me happy birthday until Aunt Alice emerged and offered to take care of the guests. "Hello, everyone. Welcome. Uh, Nessie, you have a call. From Charlie."

Charlie? Charlie Swan? My grandfather?

I walked casually into the living room, though I was more eager to rush to the phone. I hadn't seen him in years, and we've hardly talked in months. Mom was talking to him on the phone. She held it out for me as I grabbed it and placed it to my ear.

"Hello?"

_Hey, Nessie, it's grandpa. Happy birthday._

Happiness flushed through me, making this hour perfect. Everyone was in place. Everything was just right.

"Thank you, grandpa" was I could say.

A low sigh escaped from his side. _How's everything? You eating alright?_

"Of course, healthy as a horse. I miss you."

_Yeah. I miss you too. Your mom says you probably want me to call and wish you happy birthday. Um, is everything okay?_

"Yeah, I've started school for two weeks now. And things are going really great here. We're having a party as we speak. Actually, it began the moment you called, so it's perfect."

_Hm... Okay, I guess I should let you get back to the party before everyone thinks I've abducted you through the phone. Have fun. And happy birthday._

"Thanks. I hope I'll see you soon."

_Yeah, me too. You were so little when you moved to Alaska. Would like to know how you look right now. How much you look like your mother and me._

I laughed. "Well, at least your eyes are still with me."

He laughed in a low tone. _Happy birthday, Ness._

"Thank you. Bye."

The moment I hung up, Jacob, Mom and Dad were instantly at my side. Grins emitted from their faces, knowing that I was happy.

"It's your Mom's gift," Dad explained. "She thought you should talk to Charlie on your birthday."

I looked to her, smiling ever so brightly. My arms opened and embraced her. "Thank you, Mom."

"You're welcome, Nessie. I just wish you could get to meet your grandmother too someday."

That brought up my old curiosity. I'd never met my grandmother, Renée. Mom told me that they hadn't seen each other since her and Dad's wedding, though they kept in touch through e-mails and casual phone calls. She'd tried to convince Mom to visit, but she brushed her off either by saying that she was too busy or something was up.

Uncle Emmett's hard hands clapped. "Yo! Party's starting!"

"Coming!" Dad answered.

We released our grips, but kept our arms around each other and walked into the dining room with our family and Martie's friends. Grandma was lighting the last candle when we walked in.

The party went as smoothly as it could be. Tommy created a fake eating facade for the others. When it was time to unwrap presents, Mom handed hers to me before the others. I didn't give her one though - she didn't like presents. The others handed in their presents, most of them were for me, but some were for Mom as well. When it came from Aunt Alice, I never needed to guess: it was either a dress, a jewelry or a set of new shoes. Grandma and Grandpa gave me a three-set of airline tickets to Port Angeles - they knew I wanted to see how Grandpa Charlie was doing. Dad gave me a set of keys, saying I could open the real present in the morning when it arrived. Uncle Emmett said the same thing, like their gifts were coming together. Uncle Jasper had a thick book in Arabic - he thought it was time for me to learn something other than English, to broaden my horizons. Tommy didn't bother to wrap his basket of fruits and treats - he still missed his human days, even though he no longer liked human food.

Everyone made different kinds of conversations until Uncle Emmett heightened the volume and turned the living room into a disco. Uncle Emmett and Aunt Rosalie were the ones who began dancing, and then Aunt Alice and Uncle Jasper joined in. Soon, the others started dancing too. Mom and Dad, on the other hand, watched from the far corner.

I sat on the couch, talking with Martie and Jacob instead of joining the dance.

Martie told a story of his summer experience from diving the Atlantic. "Oh, man, you should try diving the Atlantic sometime, it's amazing," he said. "The hawsbill sea turtles are curiously cute and there are more corals in certain areas than you can read about in books. And when you dive deeper, the light from the surface shines like bathing clouds. It's like another world down there."

"You love diving, don't ya?" Jacob asked - taking my question.

He chuckled.

"Well, yes. But I don't do it alot, just when I have time. My dad's a marine biologist and he travels alot. I work part-time at a local marine park to make some cash. And for studies of water lifeforms."

I grinned at him. He sounded very devotive to marine, even though it was just a conversation topic. There was something in his voice that gave away his devotion.

"You really like fish, don't you?"

He nodded slowly and looked away, embarrassed. "I find the ocean more exciting than politics."

"What about the supernatural?" Jacob asked randomly.

He considered it for a moment. "I like to connect that with the mystery of the ocean. The curiosity of the unknown is kinda fascinating."

Jacob's grin lowered slightly and I did the same. We both knew the unknown wasn't meant to be found out by humans. It was necessary for the survival of both sides.

After a moment, Jacob stood and broke the noisy silence, and held his hand in front of me. "Okay, c'mon! Let's dance!"

For a second, all I could think about was the smile on his dazzling face. Deliberately, I took his hand and then he pulled me from the couch, and dragged me to the dancing floor. He started shaking his shoulders and arms with my hands in his, gently sending my arms spinning with him. Though I didn't know much about dancing, it felt kinda weird and yet fun. I looked around the others and noticed how Aunt Alice and Aunt Rosalie spun their hips, so I imitated their moves. I released my hands from Jacob and turned my back to him, dancing as natural as I could. I felt his heat as his chest closed in on my shoulders, eventually his stomach touched my hips.

My eyes turned to him now, and all I could see was how my Jacob was enjoying the dance. My moves slowed down a tempo, breaking the rhythm and following a new one. His hands slowly slithered up to mine and our fingers intertwined. My heart slowed a beat. I slipped my hands out of his, and then turned to face him. My hands found their way back into his palms and our fingertips locked.

"Jacob," Dad called as he interrupted our dance, his eyes suppressed furious anger behind his calm. "Have a word with me outside, please."

"Dad, what're you doing?"

He ignored me and yanked Jacob away from the dancing crowd in violent force, though it was subtle enough to keep the party from stopping, and in a few seconds they were out the door.

**Jacob**

"What is it, Edward?" I asked calmly once we were outside the house. I walked a few steps further away, and then turned around to face him. His expression was calm and cold. "Is something wrong?"

"Not that much," he answered coolly. After a minute passed, he continued, "Look, I get that you're starting to like her. I can hear it in your thoughts. And I can hear..." he trailed off. "Never mind. What I mean is, I noticed how you feel attracted to her, and it feels unpleasant for me to allow you to think of my daughter that way."

I looked away in disbelief. She was already full grown-up. Why couldn't he just accept that?

He scowled angrily at the thought, and I immediately dismissed it. "Sorry."

He closed his eyes and used a moment to calm down. "Listen up, dog. No matter how she appears, she's still only seven. And I don't want you to have inappropriate thoughts" - his voice was sharp at those words - "about her, got it?"

I nodded. Yes, he was right about that.

Bella came out to the porch and broke the tension. "Edward, c'mon. They're going to wonder why you're so tense. Jake, you too." Her voice was calm and gentle.

Edward hesitated, then walked back inside without another word. I trailed closely behind him until he stopped inside and I went on ahead. The party dancing was still going on, but I couldn't ignore some of the curious glances fired at me and Edward and Bella. I looked through the crowd, looking for the one face I wanted to see. Finally, I found her, sharing a nice conversation with Martie on the couch again.

By twelve-thirty, the guests had all dispatched. I wished the Cullens good night and prepared to go home.

"Jacob," Nessie called from the door. I began to walk a few steps toward her, she deliberately walked toward me until we were close enough. "What did my dad say to you?"

"Oh, that? Pfft, nothing serious," I answered cautiously.

"He looked serious."

I thought for a second, piecing together some words without revealing too much. Especially the fact that she was my imprint. It took a few seconds.

"Let's just say he's a little overprotective when it comes to you."

She eyed at me in a puzzled face. Though I knew she wouldn't like it, her new expression was so fascinating that it made me laugh.

"What's so funny?" she asked, sounding more like demanding.

"Nothing. Just the way you looked a second ago was kinda funny."

Her jaw fell open and then she mock-punched my shoulder with half a vampire's strength.

"Sorry."

"It's okay."

We went silent for a minute, only looking into each other's eyes. Finally I broke it. "I should head home. See you tomorrow."

"Okay," she resonded easily. "Good night."

We embraced each other for another minute, and then I headed home with my bike. It was easy to let, but didn't feel right.

I was about to take off my clothes and head into the shower when the phone suddenly rang. Who would call at this hour?

"Hello?" I greeted.

_Hey, Jacob._

I recognized the voice. "Rachel? Hey."

_How's everything?_

"Great, thanks. Why're you calling so late?"

She tried to hide the sobbing sound.

"What's wrong?" I asked, confused.

She didn't talk for a minute. When she did, there was pain and reluctance.

_It's Dad... he passed away._


	8. A Family Needs Each Other

****CHAPTER 8 - A FAMILY NEEDS EACH OTHER****

**_**Please review this chapter if you like it. A little encouragement could be helpful.**_**

* * *

><p><strong>Renesmee<strong>

I froze in place the morning I heard about what happened to Jacob's dad.

"H-How did it happen?" I asked, not sure if I wanted to hear the answer.

"His heart had had problems since before we left," Dad explained. "Overtime, those problems worsened. And last night, he, uh..." he trailed off into silence.

I went silent for a moment. Tears began to well up in my eyes. I struggled to maintain my calm. "How's Jacob taking it?"

"He went back to La Push early this morning to help arrange the funeral," Mom explained. "He called before he left, and asked us to tell you not to worry."

Worry? How could I not worry? His dad passed away. Billy was family to all of us, too.

"I know, Nessie, I know. But he's going to be fine. He's brave."

I thought about it for a second, then I made up my mind and reached out to Mom and Dad with my hands and showed them my will to be with Jacob. To be at his side when he faced the pain.

"I don't think you should worry, Nessie," Dad said calmly. "Jacob's very tough, he can handle it."

Of course I knew he could handle it, but that still didn't mean he should handle it alone. He needed as many close ones around him as possible. And more importantly, I wanted to be by side.

I pleaded some more with my power. After a long minute of silent pleading, Mom turned to Dad. "We can use those Airline tickets to go back to Forks," she suggested.

He sighed quietly.

"Billy was like a family to the rest of us. We should go to his funeral."

His expression changed to a pained look, and nodded. "I'll call Charlie."

"I'm gonna call the school and arrange our days off," Mom said as she took out her cellphone.

"I'm gonna call Jacob and tell him we're coming," Aunt Alice said.

We hadn't noticed anyone was outside my bedroom door until Aunt Alice acknowledged that. Uncle Jasper was by her side, and Tommy, Aunt Rosalie, Uncle Emmett, Grandma and Grandpa stood behind her. All of them had determination on their faces.

"I'm gonna call the hospital and arrange a day off," Grandpa said and went upstairs.

Grandma went to make her own phone call. Uncle Emmett, Uncle Jasper, Aunt Alice and Aunt Rosalie dispatched to arrange plane tickets, clothes, flowers and whatever else they needed.

And I went into my closet to look for clothes. I wanted some action to maintain my calm. My hands searched the closet randomly, looking for something black.

"If you're looking for a black dress, the funeral's not for another couple of days," Tommy said behind me.

I turned around and found him standing at the door.

"I can't just stand here and do nothing."

He nodded in understanding. "I know, but keeping your hands busy doesn't make it better either. You care about Jacob and his father, I get that. But it's not gonna help."

Tears welled up in my eyes again and I started sobbing. He crossed the room and wrapped his arms me and I found my arms around him. Cold as ice, but gently pleasant. It only help a little though.

"I just wanna help with anything, I need to do something for Jacob," I said through my breath.

"You will be, don't worry," he assured. "When Jacob sees you, I'm sure he'll feel better."

I nodded on his shoulder. Then, Mom came back in.

"Alice has arranged the tickets, we're leaving tomorrow night," she informed. "And I've called the school for all of us. I'm sorry, Nessie, but we still have to go to school today."

"Urgh, do I have to?" I complained. I didn't have any interest of going to school today, I just wanted to see Jacob as soon as possible.

"I know and I'm sorry, but we can't call in sick now."

She came to our side and held my shoulders. "Mom, I just..." I trailed off.

"I know, we'll see him soon enough. I want to be at his side too. And so does your dad. Come on."

And just like that, we left the closet.

We arrived at the airport around eight. I went to check in while Grandpa and Dad took care of the baggages. Aunt Alice was on the phone arranging some last minute errands. Jacob had called earlier and informed that the funeral was on Friday, but we settled on going tonight. While I used the excuse of not wanting the tickets to go to waste, I really just wanted to be at his side as soon as possible. To help him handle it in any way that I can.

Mom comforted my shoulders as if I was shuddering.

"He's going to be grateful that you're there," she said like it was a matter of fact.

Aunt Rosalie and Grandma came and did the same while Uncle Emmett grinned at me. "As much I don't like the dog very much, I believe you're doing the right thing by going to La Push. He's going to need you more than he lets you know. And right now he needs you more than ever."

I didn't doubt that. We'd all been there for each other. Jacob was there when I was born, when I waited for my Mom to wake up from her transformation, when I was threatened by the dangerous Volturi, when Tommy lost control occasionally by mistake. And I was left feeling guilty because there wasn't anything I could do for him. I didn't think this was my chance, just that I really wanted to help him in any way possible.

Dad and Grandpa came back to us then, and I realized that Dad had picked up my thoughts. He grinned lightly and nodded, like he was approving.

I knew what he was saying. _You're doing the right thing by being at his side._

He nodded again.

Aunt Alice, Uncle Jasper and Tommy came back to us a few minutes later.

"Okay, everything's set," Aunt Alice confirmed.

The plane arrived in Port Angeles around nine. Dad and Grandpa picked up the cars they'd rented for our trip back to Forks.

We arrived at the old Cullen mansion in a few hours, but it felt longer than that.

I wanted to run down to La Push to find Jacob, but Dad insisted that we should see Grandpa Charlie first.

"We'll call Jacob there, okay?" Mom suggested. I nodded in agreement.

Yes. Though I wanted to see him eagerly, seeing Grandpa Charlie was the first thing to do.

Dad turned to Grandpa. "Carlisle, we're going to Charlie's."

He nodded in agreement. "Tell him we say hi."

Grandpa Charlie was already waiting for us at the door when Dad parked his Volvo. His eyes grew wide the moment he saw me walk out of the car. His hair had turned a little more gray and his eyelashes grew more wrinkles since I last saw him. I approached and greeted with a hug.

"Hi, Grandpa," I said.

"Hey, Nessie," he whispered.

He pulled away to get a clearer look at me.

"Wow! You've grown so beautiful. Just like your mom."

His eyes flickered to Mom as he said those words. Then, Mom approached and hugged him.

"Hi, Dad," she greeted. "I've missed you."

"I missed you too, Sweetie. It's great to see you again."

He pulled away, but remained in her arms. "How've you been?"

"Good. Except, you know, Jacob's dad. I'm so sorry."

He made a pained look and expressed his own sadness. This felt like a pool of sadness now.

He offered a hand to Dad and they shook. "Good to see you again, Edward. Been good?"

"Yes, Charlie. It's good to see you again, too. I'm sorry we're coming down like this. We were planning on visiting in more pleasant situations."

"Don't worry about it. It's good to see you regardless."

"So, how's Sue?" Mom asked, changing the subject.

"She's good. Cooking in the kitchen right now. Would you like to stay for dinner?"

"We already ate," Mom answered. "But we do want to stay the night."

His face brightened now. "Sure, that'll be great."

He stepped aside to make space for us to enter. Then I smelled it, potato, fish sticks and broccoli. Appetizing enough. I was instantly reminded of how she made food smell and taste better.

"Hello, you finally came," Sue greeted with a grin on her face while putting a pan of fish sticks on the dining table.

"Good to see you, Grandma Sue," I greeted sincerely, but struggled the desire to hug her when she was cooking hot dinner.

"Hey, Sue," Mom greeted as she went into the living room. "That smells nice."

She chuckled at her comment. Once she finished setting the table, I gave in to my desire and embraced her carefully.

"Wow! You must really miss me," she whispered.

I nodded in acknowledgement.

"Nessie?" Dad called from the main hall. "Jacob's on the phone. You wanna talk to him?"

I nodded and pulled away from Grandma Sue. Dad held out the phone for me as I reached for it.

"Hey, Jacob," I said.

_"Oh, hi, Nessie,"_ his voice sounded edgy and strained, but I didn't want to point it out.

"How're you?"

_"I'm okay, thanks. I'm actually feeling better." _His fake enthusiasm did not fool me.

I used a half minute to think of what I wanted to say. "Listen, I know my family's not supposed to be down on La Push until the funeral, but I would like to see you soon. Can you, um, come here tomorrow?"

He answered after a few seconds. _"__Sure. That'll be great. I'll be there at nine."_

"Okay. Oh, and Jacob...?"

_"Yeah?"_

I didn't know how to make it sound good, so I said the words as simply as possible. "I'm really sorry about your dad."

No matter how honest I was, it didn't feel right.

_"Thank you, Nessie, it means a lot coming from you,"_ he whispered.

My voice turned lower. "I'll see you tomorrow, Jacob."

_"Okay."_

**Jacob**

I hung up after our conversation.

"Jacob?" Paul called from the living room.

When I entered to see him, his eyes focused on a tape in his hands, not meeting my eyes. His face was calm, and comfort and pained. When our eyes finally met, he held up the tape.

"This is from Billy," he said in a breath. "He, uh... he wanted you to watch this with Nessie."

I eyed at the tape now. The front had my name and Nessie's written on it.

I reached for the tape and Paul handed it to me. "I think he left you two a message that you should watch after the funeral."

"Thank you."

He patted my shoulder. "No problem, man. I better go check on your sister. She probably needs help to the bathroom."

I nodded. "Yeah."

He left the living room to Rachel.

Then there was nothing to do. No one to talk to. I inhaled the air, and it felt empty in my lungs. There was no longer anyone who would be here when I came home for visit. The hollow was vast and swallowing. I clutched to my chest with my free hand to warm my heart. But it didn't help, the heat couldn't warm it. It felt completely cold.

Empty.

My strength suddenly dropped from my legs and my body landed on the couch with a thump. Tears welled up in my eyes. I lifted my legs to the couch and wrapped my arms around myself. I wanted some warmth to my heart. But the heat of my skin couldn't break through the icy walls. I clutched myself harder.

It didn't work.

The tears finally ran down my cheeks as I started to cry.

There was no one who could be here. There was no one now who would talk to me when I came back home. I was completely alone.

All by myself.

**Renesmee**

I was enjoying Grandma Sue's dinner when a sharp pain suddenly hit my core. Painful, sad and hollow. It almost drained the air out of me. I struggled to maintain my breath and keep myself from bursting into tears. For some reason, I knew it was Jacob. He was lonely. Hurting.

I have to go to him. Now.

I looked to Dad for advice. He was unsure, but also pained and sad. Mom wasn't inattentive to our exchange.

_Please?_ I pleaded with my screaming thoughts.

He turned to Grandpa Charlie and Grandma Sue. "Charlie, Sue, I think Renesmee wants to ask you something."

They turned to me now, looking in question.

I stammered, but managed to get the words right. "I-I think I sh-should... go down to La Push to see Jacob. Like r-right now. It-It's kinda urgent. Can I go?"

"I thought he was coming to see you tomorrow," Grandpa Charlie said.

"Change of plans. I-I need to go down there as soon as possible."

Grandma Sue turned to him to make him decide.

"Um... sure," he answered after some thinking.

"Thank you, Grandpa."

I stood and went around the table to hug him, and then Grandma Sue. "Grandma Sue, I'm so sorry for leaving like this, but..."

"No, it's okay," she interrupted. "I think I understand -" her eyes flickered to Mom and Dad "- Go. Tell Jacob I say hi."

I nodded, and then grabbed my coat and left for the door. He was still hurting. I wanted to be on La Push as soon as possible. Mom and Dad were right behind me.

"What's going on?" she asked once we were outside.

"I don't know, Mom," I answered honestly. "I-I just feel that Jacob is in pain right now. He's hurting. And I really need to go down there. Right now. Treaty or no treaty."

Dad looked to her.

She considered for a moment. "Okay, but I better call and tell him you're coming."

I nodded in agreement.

"Should I drive you?" Dad asked.

"No, it'll be faster if I just run. I'll see you tomorrow."

I gave them a big hug, and then started jogging across a few neighborhoods. Once I was sure I was out of eye shot, I jogged into the dark forest and picked up my speed. I could still feel the quenching pain in my chest. I didn't know what I could do, but if there was anything I could try, I'll try it.

My memory of the roads were very clear, but it wasn't what dragged me through the forest. My feet pulled me forward as if there were strings attached to them. And I knew I just needed to run to find him. I trusted the gravitational pull would take me to him. So I ran with all the speed I could manage.

In a matter of minutes, I was at the Quileute borders as the smell of wolves got stronger, and so was the pulling force. I didn't stop, and then I was in the Quileute land. Another minute passed, and then I found myself on a lawn about one hundred yards away from a small wooden house with narrow windows and painted in dull red and a garage around it. The pull was stronger then.

I crossed the lawn until I was fifteen feet from the house. He came out, then. The dull light from inside the house foreshadowed his face, but it was him. We stood in place for a moment.

Then I took a careful step forward as the gravity pulled me forward. He reflected the move. I walked faster by every step and he did the same until we started running. He opened his arms as I ran into them.

My arms clutched around him tightly. He breathed into my hair in a broken voice.

"I'm sorry, Jacob. I'm so sorry," I whispered. "If you want to cry, it's okay."

And he did. His voice moaned as he sobbed. Pain and sadness, he let it all out. I lifted my arm on his shoulder to brush the back of his hair. I could hear tears dripping down on my shoulder.

"It's okay, Jacob," I whispered comfortably.

"Oh, Nessie," he choked. "I feel like I can't breathe..."

I continued to brush his head. Tears began to run down my own cheeks. "It's okay... it's okay... it's okay..."

We both cried in the same pain.

**Bella**

Edward and I watched from inside the woods as they cried together. Seeing them like that made me want to go out and comfort them.

"Do you want to go out there and comfort them?" Edward asked without looking at me.

I turned to him for a second, and then back to them. Something told me that I should stay in place. My daughter was comforting my best friend right now. Maybe leaving them be was the right thing to do.

"I think I should leave them be."

He nodded. "Let's go."

He turned and held my hand and started to guide me back to the forest.

We walked in the forest without talking, walking barely faster than human speed.

"I have to say, after tonight I'm not sure I'm gonna be annoyed anymore if Nessie ends up with Jacob," he said.

I gave it a thought. "He deserves happiness. I'm sure she can give him that."

He looked to me in understanding and smiled lightly. "I'm sure she can."

After everything we'd been through, Jacob deserved someone in his life that could make him happy. I wasn't able to give him that when I chose Edward over him. He was tormented to core, and I remembered how much I hated myself to making him go through that state. But when Renesmee was born, she changed every single thing about us. Including him. Edward and I were given the greatest treasure of all; Rosalie was happier with her involvement and her hatred of me changed entirely to a sisterly bond. All the Cullens welcomed her with open arms. And the peace between us and the shape-shifters became a hundred times better than it used to be. And Jacob was freed from his pain when she was born and became his imprintee - his soulmate.

She wasn't just a miracle to me and Edward, but an angel sent down from the heavens to make everything right again. If anyone could make Jacob happy, it was my Renesmee.


	9. Heartfelt Message

****CHAPTER 9 - HEARTFELT MESSAGE****

**_**Please review this chapter if you like it. A little encouragement could be helpful.**_**

* * *

><p><strong>Renesmee<strong>

I brushed Jacob's hair very lightly as he slept in my lap, careful not to stir him. Every now and then, his body shivered and his face contorted in pain and anguish as he dreamed. And I didn't need to know what he was dreaming about.

I wish there was something I could try. Something to ease his dream. If Uncle Jasper was here, he could have helped soften his feelings. Even for a short hours, he needed relief.

A thought occurred to me. Uncle Emmett had told me that he'd peeped my dreams when I slept. My power was active even when I was asleep. Maybe I could try to change Jacob's nightmare to a more pleasant dream.

I placed my hand gently on the back of his neck and closed my eyes. I concentrated on something simple first, trying to do it as lightly as possible, and imagined colors of aqua blue, emerald green, and sandy yellow; then changed to my mom and dad, and finally myself.

I think it worked. He became much calmer than before; no longer moaning or shivering, now that I interfered with his dreams. I opened my eyes, but kept my hand in place and imagined myself hugging him comfortably. His wrinkling forehead eased. Somehow, he looked like an innocent little child with dimples. It felt weird to think of my Jacob this way. He looked completely innocent, vulnerable and mesmerizingly charming. I felt compelled to lean down to take a closer look.

My lips touched his.

I quickly leaned back up. My heart raced one hundred times faster, my cheeks flushed with overwhelming blood. This was something entirely new. I just kissed Jacob Black - my best friend. I didn't know how to react. And yet the same sensation was boiling inside me now, much stronger than the first time. I suddenly realized that my hand was still touching Jacob's neck, and that he had seen everything I felt. I removed it immediately, closing the connection.

I suddenly felt the urge to run outside, but as long as he was on my lap, I couldn't just remove him. And he needed me. He was beginning to stir again, this time looking a little anxious instead of pain and anguish.

His eyes fluttered open.

What will I say? My head spun like a spinning wheel, I couldn't think clearly. After a minute, I stuttered with the first thing I said. "G-Good morning."

"Good morning," he said weakly, sleepy.

I looked away from him and cleared my mind quickly. "I-I should probably go back to Forks. They're expecting me."

I crawled my arms under his head to remove him.

"No, wait, please," he begged. "Stay."

"I'm not allowed to be here."

"Well, you _are_ here. And I made the exception when Bella called to let me know you were coming."

"I just don't want to intrude on your tribe. Your brothers wouldn't like if a Cullen crossed into your land. Besides, I promised my dad to be back."

He lifted himself, sat correctly beside me and turned to me. "Well, they're gonna hear it from me. Besides, Sam, Seth and most of the guys like you. And...," He trailed off again, lost in thought. "My dad's left something for you and I. I think we should... watch it. Together."

His eyes flickered to a videotape on the table with our names written on it. A message from Billy, no doubt.

"Okay," I finally agreed.

He took two long deep breaths before setting the tape into the VCR-player and starting the TV. Though it was old, the screen was perfect. Billy's face showed up when the tape played, with him sitting in his wheelchair outside a front yard of some sort, and wearing a black shirt and a blue sweater. I clutched my hand in Jacob's.

_Hello, Jacob._

_Haven't seen you in a long time. I hope everything's all right with you..._ He was interrupted by serious coughs. _Sorry, your old man's not what he used to be._ He was quiet for a moment. _Son, I'm sorry I haven't told you about my heart condition. When you left, I knew it wasn't my job to hold you back. I knew it was time for you to leave la Push and follow your own path. When a child grows up, he has to leave the safety net and face the world on his own. And I knew that if I told you about my problem, you would be torn apart. That's why I decided to keep you in the dark until the time was right._

His eyes began to fill tears. I looked to Jacob for a second. His eyes reflected with tears of his own.

_I'm so sorry, Jacob. I'm sorry I'm not as strong as you are, that I can't be there for you when you want me to. But I want you to know that I will always with you. As long as you think about me, I will always be with you. This is actually what your mother said to me when she died. Oh, she was a wonderful person. Just like Bella and Nessie._

_I have something under my bed, something that your mom asked me to keep for you, so that someday you can give it to the one who will make your life whole. And I think I know who it will be._

He smiled confidently.

_Remember, son. No matter what happens. I will always be there for you, and I will always be your father. And I am very proud of you._

Tears ran down both of their cheeks, despite one of them was a TV message.

_Have a good life, son._

He turned off the recorder, and the screen went blank. Jacob's cheeks were filled with running tears, and I welled up tears of my own. With little gentle force, I pulled him into my shoulders and patted his head. He sobbed uncontrollably on my shoulders.

Our crying moment was interrupted by the sound of footsteps from the hall. Paul and Rachel entered the living room. Paul eyed me in surprise. I automatically stood.

"Hey, Nessie," he said.

"Hey, I-I'm sorry to barge in like this," I apologized.

"It's okay, I think Jake could need your help."

I turned to Rachel, and then to her balloon-shaped belly. "Hey, Rachel."

"Hello, Nessie, it's good to see you," she said.

"Yeah. You too."

"Do you want to stay for breakfast?" Paul asked.

I checked my watch. 9 o'clock. "I should, I should probably go now. My mom and dad are expecting me. And I promised I would be back on morning."

"Okay," Rachel agreed.

I turned to Jacob again. "I'll see you later."

He nodded, the tears already wiped clean. "I'll stop by at Charlie's later today. Wish Bella happy birthday for me."

I nodded and headed out the front door.

**Jacob**

I closed the door behind her. The empty space began to fill me again, but I managed to quench it. Paul emerged from the living room.

"I'll make breakfast," he said.

"Okay," I said easily. "I'm gonna be in Dad's bedroom. He left something for me."

He nodded in agreement.

I went into the empty bedroom. The thought of Dad lingered everywhere. I seeped my hand under the bed and looked. Finally, I felt a hard wooden box. I pulled it out and opened the lid. Inside stored a beautiful silver ring engraved with a clear white crystal, and a little note with Dad's handwriting.

_"Give it to your beloved Nessie when she's ready. She will fill your life with happiness."_

_"Love, Dad."_

My eyes flooded with tears again as my lips lifted into a huge grin.


	10. Familiarity, Not Always Good

****CHAPTER 10 - FAMILIARITY, NOT ALWAYS GOOD****

**_**Please review this chapter if you like it. A little encouragement could be helpful.**_**

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><p><strong>Renesmee<strong>

I went to Grandpa Charlie's. From the stepping sounds inside, I could tell they were awake. And Mom and Dad were still here, waiting.

I waited a little while before knocking the door. Mom was the one who opened it.

"Hey," she greeted.

"Hey, Mom," I greeted back. "Sorry I'm so late."

"That's okay, it was necessary for you to be there. How's Jacob?"

"Better. I had to stay to give him some better dreams though."

I reeled back to the moment when I changed Jacob's dreams, when I made him feel better. And when I kissed...

I interrupted myself at the realization that Dad was here.

He emerged from the living room, glaring intently at me.

_Oh, great._ This was embarrassing.

He coughed into laughter at my thoughts. Bella looked to him curiously. I blew past them into the living room where Grandpa Charlie was reading a newspaper. Grandma Sue was frying sandwiches in the kitchen.

"Hey, Grandma Sue," I greeted.

"Hey, Nessie," she greeted back. "So how is Jacob and Rachel? Are they okay?"

I nodded, reminiscing the morning. "Jacob's had it better, and Rachel is doing fine with Paul's help. It's kind off a relief, you know, considering she's pregnant."

"Yes. Things will probably be a little hectic for them before it can return to normal. Rebecca and her family are coming back tomorrow."

I changed the subject.

"So how are Seth and Leah? Is she doing good in community college?"

She was finished with the sandwiches then. "Yeah, really good, actually. She's doing really well with yoga and she's acing psychology. As for Seth," she flipped the sandwiches on a plate and handed to me, "he's as happy as ever. He actually misses you and Jake."

I chuckled at the idea. What a cheerful wolf-boy.

I chewed into the delicious sandwich.

"Charlie, you better put away that paper if you wanna get served," she called to Grandpa Charlie while pointing to the free sandwich.

He made a grimaced look, and then put away the newspaper and came to our side. Mom and Dad joined us then.

"Dad, will you be busy today?" Mom asked.

"Um, I'll be at the station till nightfall and then I'll probably be down on La Push to help Jacob with the funeral," he answered with a low voice. "Why?"

"We're going back to the house later, but I thought about staying here with Renesmee for the day."

There was gleam behind his calm eyes, even Mom could see that.

"Oh," he muttered, and then a little lower. "I guess I'll have to try getting back a little earlier."

"No!" we both said at the same time, then Mom said. "We can come by tomorrow or something. I mean, Billy was your best friend. You should be helping."

He was thoughtful for a moment.

"What about you? Ain't you gonna go down to help?"

She shook her head. "We're just here for the funeral. We're not supposed to go down there under normal circumstances."

His eyebrows creased and turned to me. "What about Nessie? She was there last night."

She nodded and answered. "That was one of those unusual circumstances that required permission."

He nodded.

After we finished eating, Grandpa Charlie prepared to go to the police station to start his schedule. We departed the same time as he did. Sue decided to head down to La Push to visit Sam and Emily later. I left a note at the door for Jacob to let him know that we were headed back at the old Cullen house.

While we walked slowly back to the house, Dad and Mom started asking questions about what I did at La Push last night. I had my own questions, but decided to put them aside for the moment.

"Jacob had nightmares?" Dad asked.

I nodded. "We didn't sleep half the night. Just all night talking and comforting. When he fell asleep in the morning, I put his head on my lap. Then, he started having nightmares and shivered in anguish and pain." Mom looked away, feeling the sadness seep into her body. I continued, "I wanted to help, but I didn't know what to do. Until I finally came up with a solution."

"What solution?"

"She projected pictures into his mind to make his dreams better," Dad explained in my place, grinning at my thoughts. She looked at him for a moment and then back to me, her eyes a little wide.

"I had to try something. Then I remembered you guys saying about peeping my dreams, so I thought maybe I could intrude his to make it easier for him to handle. It worked."

"What did Billy say in the tape?" he asked at the mention of my thoughts. This was so intruding. He grinned teasingly at me. "Sorry, sweetheart, I'll try to stay out."

Mom held my hand. "Want my help, sweetie?"

"Please," I begged.

"There you go. Your thoughts are all yours."

"Thanks, Mom." I proceeded to answer Dad's question, "So, Billy told Jacob about his heart condition and all that stuff about children having to leave home when they grow up. Then he said that he left something for him to give to his special one in the future."

An irritation sent through my chest. The thought of Jacob finding someone else... I couldn't quite describe it. One simple word. Worry?

But I couldn't let that affect me. No matter what, Jacob will always be my one best friend. No one will ever compare to him. Perhaps someday, he will find someone more special than me, but the fact that we were friends will stay true. Yes. It will always be. And it won't be enough.

We were back at the old house after a few hours. Aunt Alice was waiting patiently on the porch stairs while Tommy paced around the lawn. When we crossed the river, they turned to our direction. Their expressions were unreadable.

"There's a vampire scent in the house?" Dad said as he read their minds, his expression anxious and surprised.

Tommy approached. "Not just one, but a quite few that followed to the backyard. That's why we didn't catch it until we were inside the house. Carlisle called his old hospital to find out if anything happened. Turns out hikers were murdered these past few days. They suspect it's the work of another wolf assault though."

"Jasper and Emmett followed the trail last night, but it disappeared into the ocean," Aunt Alice took over the conversation. "Rosalie and Esme are running through the town to see if they can catch some recent trail. I called Sam last night to see if he knew anything. They caught the trail a few days ago, but when they arrived, it was too late."

Mom looked away in sadness.

Dad turned to me. "Did you catch any scent at Jacob's house?"

I shook my head. I was absolutely positive that I didn't catch any unfamiliar vampire scent when I got there. And I was sure Jacob hadn't either nor Paul.

"But it could've been nothing," Aunt Alice continued. "I mean, the scent is days old. They were probably passing by."

Dad hid his grimaced look behind a reassured smile. I didn't need his power to know that he was hiding something. Just then, Uncle Emmett and Uncle Jasper came out through the front door.

"We're going back into the woods to see if we can find more of those trails, perhaps they've been somewhere close by," Uncle Jasper explained.

"I'm coming with you," Dad suggested. The four of them shared genuine looks, and it could only mean that they were thinking the same thing. The only ones who weren't in their shared thoughts were Tommy, Mom and I.

"Thomas, our flower arrangements for the funeral will arrive sometime today," Aunt Alice told. "Why don't you stay here and wait for the flowers with me?"

Tommy eyed at her suspiciously, then to the rest of us. A moment later, Aunt Alice grabbed his arm, and he obeyed. We walked silently for fifteen minutes, and then Mom finally asked.

"What's wrong, Edward?"

He took a few short seconds and made a grimaced look. "The scents they picked up -" he looked to Uncle Emmett and Uncle Jasper "- they were the same ones from the vampires that killed Thomas's family."

I stared at him, shocked, and then turned to Uncle Emmett and Uncle Jasper. Mom eyed at them for a moment, as surprised as I was. "You didn't tell him?"

Uncle Jasper shook his head. "We didn't want to upset him. If he finds out, he would lose himself to the rage of revenge. Of course, we don't plan on keeping it from him forever, just till after the funeral."

I remembered the day Tommy became part of our family.

* * *

><p>That night, three years ago, I was helping Jacob with his homework with my encyclopedia of 3000 pages.<p>

Aunt Alice suddenly rushed into the living room with a wary look.

"Jacob, you gotta get Nessie upstairs," she urged.

"Why? What's wrong?" he asked before I did.

"Carlisle, Edward and Bella found a family murdered by vampires about five miles outside of town. The only survivor is a young man who's been bitten. It's already too late to drive the venom out of his system, so Carlisle is taking him here right now as we speak."

"When are they arriving?" he asked urgently.

Her eyes went blank for a moment, then refocused. "In 2 minutes."

Jacob gathered all his books and volumes and took me in his arms and brought me upstairs, where we hid in Dad's old bedroom. After exactly 2 minutes, footsteps broke in through the front door. Along with the pierceful cries that echoed to the door. It contained so much pain that I didn't think anyone could be more agonized.

The first voice called through the screeching._"Take him down to the basement."_ It was Dad's voice.

The screaming instantly lowered an inch, but it was still in hearing range.

I looked to Jacob, who stared at the closed door. His expression was hard and anxious, as if he was worried that something would go wrong.

_"What iz happen-ning t-to me?"_ the voice asked as he struggled the pain.

_"Something you never would've wanted if you were given the choice,"_ Grandpa paused. _"You're becoming a vampire, young man."_

Scream! _"Oh, please...,"_ the voice replied. Whether he was being sarcastic or actually believing the words, I couldn't tell. The screeching pain took away all kinds of emotion coming from his voice.

Dad and Mom found us in the room. Their faces were wary. Dad was the first to enter his old bedroom.

"Jacob, Renesmee, let's go back to the cottage," he said anxiously.

"What was going on?" Jacob asked.

After a moment, Mom answered. "It's already too late to get the venom out of his system. Carlisle is letting him join our family and become one of us. The problem is he has not been prepared like Bella was."

They went quiet for a moment.

"He's going to act like a savage newborn," Jacob finally said.

He nodded. "And we can't let him out in the open. Not until he's ready." His eyes turned to me. "Nor can we let him be close to Nessie for the time being."

Jacob immediately began picking up his books. "Let's go."

I reached out to Mom and she picked me up lightly and walked downstairs with Dad and Jacob closely behind. The shrieking, screaming and thrashing echoed louder and louder in the walls as we went down the stairs. I hid in my Mom's hair to block some of the echoes in my sensitive ears - it was too loud, and too clear. I suddenly felt sorry for the boy for having to go through this much pain and the pain of losing his own family, and becoming part of the species that did it.

"Alice, we'll see you tomorrow!" Dad called from the front door.

We were out of the hearing range in no time, but my mind continued to race back to the piercing cries of agony in the house.

"What's wrong, Nessie?" Mom asked. She must've noticed my tense grip around her shoulders. I placed my hand on her cheek and showed her the screaming.

She went silent for a minute, trying to piece together some words that could sound comforting, I guessed.

"Don't worry about him, Nessie," Dad assured, his face was totally relaxed. "He's going to be okay. Your Aunt Alice's vision predicted that he'll make a fine little uncle to you. We'll take good care of him until he can control his instincts."

Jacob snorted sarcastically. "Good luck with that."

They gave him a look. Then Dad changed the subject.

"Unfortunately... as a newborn he won't be able to restrain himself the way your mother could. And we can't let him near so much temptations, especially when we're a 5 mile radius within human society. So I'm afraid the time to leave Forks has come." He trailed off to the rest of us instead of just me.

I looked at him, shocked. Mom and Jacob did the same.

"_We're_ leaving Forks?" he said in a surprised tone.

Dad nodded slowly, reluctantly. "I'm afraid that is our only option. When we came in, Alice had a vision of us moving up to Denali to train the newborn. She could also see that he will go through a difficult time for at least five months. Which means we'll be leaving very soon."

When Jacob asked, his voice was broken. "When are we going?"

"In about one week."

"_One week_," he whispered to himself.

"I'm sorry, Jacob," Mom apologized.

He raised a hand. "No, don't be. It's okay, Bella. It wasn't like we weren't gonna leave eventually. I mean, we've already planned to move next year, right?"

Yes. We were going to leave soon. The hospital staff was already starting to notice that Grandpa wasn't aging. Everyone agreed to leave after New Year. And we had already agreed to let Jacob come. But it looked like the plan had to be followed through earlier than expected.

Mom said in a sad voice. "I guess I have to tell Charlie now that we're leaving."

Dad put his arm around her shoulders to comfort her. "We'll keep in touch with them. And when things slow down, we'll come back to visit."

I touched her cheek to show her the times we had with Grandpa Charlie. A promise that we will always be together. She and Dad flashed me a tiny smile. Then, Mom's face turned to concern and looked to Dad.

"We have to keep Renesmee away from the newborn."

Neither Dad or Jacob disagreed. Me, I was a little curious with my soon-to-be uncle.

In the next four days, we've made it official that the Cullens were leaving town. Mom visited Grandpa Charlie to tell him the news as she had promised years before, and I was taken to see him one last time. Grandpa made the announcement at the hospital. Aunt Alice contacted the Denalis to tell them we were coming, and that a werewolf will be accompanying us.

Jacob had to handle the harder part. La Push was his home. His family and friends, his wolf pack, happy and sad memories. His life was kept here, where he belonged. And now, he had to leave it all behind to be with us. I was happy to know that he was coming. That we weren't going to separate, but that didn't explain why he decided to come at all. Not if it was so hard for him to leave behind everything he had ever known.

When I asked him about it, he just said, "It's really hard for me to leave my family behind, but it's even harder to be away from you, Nessie. If being with you means I have to leave everything behind me, I would do it. Especially if you asked."

That was enough to make me smile.

The hardest part came on the fifth day. The day when we were leaving. Mom and Dad had finished packing the night before, so there really was nothing I needed to do. I took the liberty to check my now-empty bedroom one last time, thinking back to the day my parents brought me into the cottage. I looked to my painted walls, the perfectly synchronized colors. The wall facing my bed was a huge picture of me and my family together as one.

"Nessie?" Mom called from the hallway before she appeared. "Honey... we have to go."

I nodded, but took a deliberate moment to take in the empty room. After I was finished, I relocated in her arms and met up with Dad outside the cottage.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Yeah," she answered and grabbed a suitcase. I leaped out of her arms and grabbed my little bag. Dad balanced a couple of suitcases stocked on his arms and shoulders.

"Jacob is meeting us at the house. Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper and Alice left with the newborn an hour ago. He's obedient, even for a newborn."

Mom took a deep breath and then said, "Okay, let's go."

We glanced back at our cottage one last time before leaving. I couldn't forget how special this little place was to me. This was the little home that I settled into right after my birth, and my Mom's transformation into a vampire. Beautiful and somehow very "alive". It was hard to believe that we were leaving it behind. But no matter how much we wanted to stay and keep the happy memories here, there was no going back.

"Come on," Dad said, ending our glance.

We reached the main house in no time. Before we crossed the river, the sounds of thudding hearts and scent of various wolf smells crossed our faces, and there they were.

Grandpa and Sam shook hands with Emily and Grandma standing right beside them; Leah, Seth, Quil, Paul and Embry said their goodbyes to Jacob with humble hugs while Jared, Brady, Collin, Kyle, Michael, Quentin, Brandon, Vince, Ian and Ricky just observed the scenario from across the lawn.

Jacob and Seth were the first to cross the lawn to our side. I flipped myself into the air as Jacob opened his arms to catch me. Seth (and some of the other wolves that I heard) laughed at our synchronized move and patted my head.

"I'm gonna miss you, Nessie," he said.

I touched his chin to show him how much I will miss him, too. Soon we were surrounded by goodbyes.

The vehicles were stocked with packages and boxes that they could barely fit me in.

Grandma and Grandpa took Dad's Volvo while the three of us took Mom's Ferrari, and Jacob sat in his Rabbit. Then we drove off.

* * *

><p>My reminiscence was interrupted by the sound of a pounding heart and loud footsteps clearing the distance. We all looked to Dad. He seemed completely relaxed.<p>

"It's just Seth," he assured. "He's patrolling the scents, too."

Seth came through the bushes to our side in an instant. Mom and Dad were most happy to see him, as were the rest of us.

"Long time no see, Seth," Dad greeted with a large grin on his face.

And Seth lifted his lips behind his teeth with a bark. I suddenly realized that I'd forgotten their mutual friendship, the second link we had to the wolves.

He turned to the rest of us and huffed nicely.

"Good to see you too, Seth," Mom greeted with a grin. "I'm sorry we couldn't come on better circumstances."

He turned to Dad again, and he replied in his place. "He's saying it doesn't matter. He's just been missing us."

Uncle Emmett smirked. "Okay, this whole vampire-wolf-goody-goody-friendship thing, very annoying."

We burst into laughter, even Seth barked a laugh.

Then Dad turned serious again. "Seth, we recognized those vampire scents. They were from the ones who killed Thomas' family. You know, the newborn who joined us three years ago."

They went silent for a second, and then Dad said, "No, he doesn't know anything yet. We're planning to tell him after the funeral to ease the tension."

After Seth left for the woods, we went to visit our old cottage. Uncle Emmett and Uncle Jasper decided to follow the trail alone.

It wasn't until we found it again that I realized we were really home. It never changed even after three years, the walls never fell, none of the stone blocks seemed to have moved an inch (not ones that I'd noticed anyway). The little house was as empty as we left it, but nothing seemed to have changed. The only difference was the house was the yard, which had become more dank and covered with weeds.

Being back at our cottage made me think back to all the days we'd spent here. The thought of being back at our little home made me smile.


	11. Funeral

****CHAPTER 11 - FUNERAL****

**_**Please review this chapter if you like it. A little encouragement could be helpful.**_**

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><p><strong>Jacob<strong>

My family gathered at the beach for the funeral. Sam, Emily, the Clearwaters, the other wolves and all of my old friends came when the ritual was about to start. Everyone looked at us with looks that expressed _"Poor Jacob and his sisters, I hope he won't drop the ball. I feel so sorry for him. Blah! Blah! Blah!"_

The Cullens and the Swans arrived last and stood in the farthest back, though I would've liked them to be on the front.

Quil's grandpa performed the ceremony as the new head council leader.

Rachel and Rebecca cried all the way through the funeral, and I could hear mourns all over. This is where it was all turning, just like the cloudy day and the low waves of the sea. It was as if this day was made for sadness. I gritted my trembling hands to keep myself together and sane for the sake of my family. I wanted to do this right. I wanted to be here for my family, and I needed to do this for them. I have to keep it under control. Even if I was breaking apart inside.

The finishing part was closer now; Grandpa Quil stepped aside and all the guests placed their flowers around Dad on the decorated canoe. Charlie, Sue, Seth and Leah comforted us after handing down their flowers. The Cullens were the last to give their flowers; Bella, Nessie, Alice, and Edward looked to me and my family after they did. Their expressions told one thing: _I'm so sorry._

And now, it was my turn to finish the job.

I walked into the water and placed my hands on the back of the canoe. I took a deliberate moment to look at the body of my father. His eyes were shut so easily, it was easy to think that he was sleeping. And now, he will in for a long sleep and an endless journey into the ocean. The thought of never seeing him again made my arms tremble uncontrollably, but then they stopped and I was suddenly calm. The sadness was lifted from my heart, pushed into the far back of my mind. I looked over my shoulders. The Cullens were standing on the front now. Jasper's eyes focused deeply on me.

_Tell Jasper thank you for me, Edward,_ I thought.

I knew the sadness would rise again as soon as Jasper's inflict passed, but right now this was what I needed to finish the funeral. To properly say goodbye to my father.

I pushed the canoe lightly toward the waves and watched as it drifted into the mirroring ocean. A sound of footsteps approached slowly until it stopped on my left side, then a hand seeped through the bottom of my palm and held my fingers. I clutched to it like a moth attracted to fire. The hand's warmth was utterly comforting to my core, as if it had the same magical calming power as Jasper's. Her chocolate brown eyes bore into mine.

This day had been long in many ways, and short in some. Most of the guests departed in the aftermath of the funeral. As soon as Jasper was gone, I felt the sadness coming back up like bottle refilling water.

Thomas was the first to talk to me after the ritual, when everyone went back to the Black house and I insisted to stay behind a few more minutes.

"You okay?" he asked absentmindedly, and then added. "I'm sorry for your loss, Jacob."

"Thank you, Thomas," I replied with a low voice.

He gave a gentle look, and then turned to the wavy ocean and went quiet. Though I didn't like this bloodsucker much, I had to admit he was comfortable to be around when he wasn't bloodlusting. But then I remembered that he had lost his family three years ago. Something he never really got over, even though he had found his new family. He might just understand what it felt like to lose someone precious.

It was hard to believe that I felt sorry for the bloodsucker.

"You know," he began. "I think I know how you feel. Sort of. I couldn't stop being angry at the thought of..." his face hardened as he trailed off. His face turned hard, angry, lethal and dangerous. Nothing like the soft gentle Thomas a minute ago.

He closed his eyes and struggled with deep breaths to calm himself down. It worked very quickly.

"Sorry."

"It's okay. And I'm glad you're trying to help."

He made a mocking face and asked. "Even though we don't like each other very much?"

I considered that.

"I think I just can't stand the annoying smell."

He laughed quietly. "Well, to be honest, I'm not exactly a fan of your stench, either, Jacob. But despite that, you're actually quite likable."

Oh, great! We were getting softer to each other.

"Look, I'm not good at talking wisely, but if it's any constellation, I believe he will always be with you as long as you think about him now and then. Because that's where he exists." He pointed to his chest.

"In your heart?" I asked in a mocking and genuine tone.

He snorted. "No, in _yours_. I'm just avoiding touching you, because... well, you stink too much."

I laughed, a little louder this time. It felt funny to laugh after all this time. He was so good at comforting, I didn't know he could be this good. It was just like Carlisle's compassion, Esme's loving nature, Bella's caring, Edward's companionship, Alice's annoying determination, Leah's pestering invasion of my wolf mind, Seth's unwavering optimism, Rosalie's never-ending hostility, and Nessie's power over my atmosphere.

Thomas looked to the sandy beach. "We should go back now."

I frowned. Yes, the day wasn't over yet. But the hardest part was over now. The rest I could bear. "Sure, sure."

He started walking toward the woods.

"Hey, _Tommy_," I called.

He stopped and turned to me.

"Just for the record, I like you ten times better now than when we first met. You're alright for a bloodsucker."

He shot a gleaming smile, lighting the gloomy atmosphere. "I had the best to teach me. Your general happiness was one of them."

I laughed again.

Edward, Bella and Nessie were waiting outside the house when we got back. They knew that the day was hardly over, but something on my face told that it was already brightening.

Edward shot a light smile at me.

"So he's _Tommy_ now?" he asked.

I grinned.

Nessie came to my side and touched my face.

"Don't worry, Nessie. I'm okay now," I assured her.


	12. The Star of the Universe

**CHAPTER 12 - THE STAR OF THE UNIVERSE**

_**It was hard to make this chapter good, but I made it happen eventually. You will see why this story is called "Blinking Star" in this chapter; but I gotta admit the idea only came to me when I finished this chapter with passion.**_

**_**Please review this chapter if you like it. A little encouragement could be helpful.**_**

* * *

><p><strong>Renesmee<strong>

"Where are you taking me?" Jacob asked as I guided him through the woods. A few minutes passed, and the waves reached our ears. "Are we going to the beach?"

"Sort of," I answered. "There's something I wanna show you."

"Show me what?"

"You'll know soon enough."

He sighed. We reached the top of a cliff after another minute where the mild waves. Jacob looked bewildered down the cliff and waters.

Then he turned to me. "You wanna cliff dive?"

I shook my head. "Not really, but it IS what we're going to do first."

He looked at me with a confused look.

"Just follow me and you'll see."

I looked down the waves, then I turned back to him and offered my hand. His lips lit up into a grin as he took my hand. We both took a deep breath, and ran toward the cliff edge and jumped.

The air blew my hair upward as we fell. The gravity pulled us down, but somehow it didn't feel fast enough. The waters closed in on us, until we fell in.

The current wasn't strong enough to break our grip. I swam to the bottom with Jacob; the waterway was as I remembered the first time I found the mysterious cave. And there was the opening at the bottom of the rocks. I pulled Jacob's hand to signal him to swim into the hole; my vampire mind calculated that it was wide enough to fit two people at the same time. Jacob pulled me closer to himself as we swam in together, practically squeezing to fit the hole's size. The inside was dark, but clear enough for my eyes. I held him tight as we swam deeper into the hole until I was sure that we were out of the short tunnel. I took a deliberate breath the moment we broke up to the surface.

**Jacob**

After we reached the dry surface, I took in the inside of the mysterious cave. The surrounding was dark, dank, but the area was widely open, enough to fit least 10 people at a time, and engraved with walls of glittering stones that illuminated the inside, which made it easier to see the size of the cave. The ground wasn't completely dry though. There were dry grounds and there were small round water pools that reflected the sparkles. It was practically being in a different world.

"Wow" was all that escaped my mouth.

"Yes, it's amazing, isn't it?" Nessie commented. "I showed it to you right before Tommy came into our family."

I remembered. She showed me this place in her images, and wanted me to see it for myself. But before we had the chance to do it, Tommy joined the family and we were forced to move. We hadn't talked about this place since then, and over time I forgot about it completely.

"I'm sorry, we haven't talked about this place for so long, I guess I forgot about it," I apologized sincerely.

She lit with a smile on her face, which glowed brighter than the glowing stones. "Don't worry about it," she assured. "I haven't shown you this place since then, either."

"So, may I ask why you're showing me this secret cave right now?" I asked curiously.

"Because you're..." she cut off, her eyes turned to me sheepishly. "... Sad. And seeing you like this, it hurts me too."

Gosh, the cave blackened for me now. I'd hurt Nessie by hurting myself. What a pathetic life I'm having. I went through the aching pain of loss, and I dragged her along with me. Can't I do anything right?

She read the emotions on my face. "What is it?"

"It's just..." I couldn't find the words to express how guilty I was feeling, so I answered with honesty. "I feel guilty for making you feel hurt."

She gave me a pained look, and then she placed one hand on my face while cradling mine in her other hand. "When you're hurting, I feel it automatically. And I'd rather share your pain than let you face it alone. You're the most important person to me, Jacob, you have no idea how much I care about you. And I want to share everything with you. The happiness that we have; and the pain that you're feeling. I don't ever want you to go through any of it alone."

My face lit up to a grin. My heart started pumping faster, and I started blushing. I hoped the darkness was enough to hide my blush.

I was reeled in deep thoughts. Nessie cared about my pain as much as I cared about her happiness. Unable to help my reaction, I leaned down to her face and kissed her lips. Then she kissed back with the same enthusiasm that caused my heart to pump 100 times faster and slower at the same time, and her lips sent a strong and pleasant sensation from my lips to my toes.

Suddenly, an image flashed through my mind. I saw me sleeping peacefully in Nessie's lap on my house's sofa. She leaned down to my face, and our lips touched.

I pulled away as soon as I realized what that picture was, breaking the connection, but not the enthusiasm. She gave a confused look.

"You kissed me in my sleep?" I muttered with a large grin on my face. I couldn't see clearly in the darkness, but her expression betrayed her. I could see that she was embarrassed.

I took a deep breath, and said the words with all sincerity of my heart. "I love you, Renesmee Cullen."

Her lips lifted to a grin across her face. "I love you, too, Jacob Black."

I leaned in to kiss her again. This time with more passion.

I was buried in it.

**Renesmee**

My whole body trembled as I kissed him back. The heat of my skin boiled like lava in an active volcano; my heart pumped like a jackhammer, only much faster and way more strongly. My hands sent images and feelings of us being together through Jacob's mind as I wrapped them around his head. His huge arms wrapped around my torso.

His kiss turned more enthusiastic. I lost the track of time as the passion enveloped me.

**Renesmee and Jacob**

Our passion burned like living flames. For the first time, it felt like we were centered in the universe. The sparkles of the stone walls made it more evident. Soon we were floating in space, surrounded by millions of glamorous stars and comets. No gravity held us to the earth. We were one joint luminous star that glowed in the center of the universe.


	13. Truth Bearing Shoulders

**CHAPTER 13 - TRUTH BEARING SHOULDERS**

_**Please review this chapter if you like it. A little encouragement could be helpful.**_

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><p><strong>Renesmee<strong>

We swam back to the cliff. The day was already turning to night when we did. I didn't want the day to end, but it came anyway. The sun was setting by the time we climbed up to the cliff. We were both strong enough to climb on our own.

We didn't want the connection to disappear, so we held our hands. The heat of Jacob's skin was enough to keep my sensation intact. Neither of us talked on our way back to the house. I just enjoyed the silent company, and I could tell that he liked the atmosphere as much as I was.

Grandma and Aunt Rosalie were waiting on the front porch when we reached the house. Each of them had a different expression on their faces. Grandma was peaceful but worried; and Aunt Rosalie was anxious.

I looked to Jacob as the atmosphere began to draw us in.

Something was wrong.

"What's wrong, Grandma?" I asked her.

She grinned lightly and shook her head. "Come on inside, I'll make you something to eat."

Before I could ask any more questions, she darted into the house.

"Somethin' up?" Jacob asked Aunt Rosalie.

She winced at his question and stepped to the side of the door. "See for yourself."

Now I was officially curious.

I took a deliberate breath, and headed inside the house with Jacob. Aunt Rosalie followed us in.

At first I saw nothing. Then I noticed the cracked staircase, and the white walls tainted with big round holes. In the living room, the windows were shattered and some torn up furniture, with feathers and cotton spread across the floor. The downstairs of the house was half-ruined.

"I'm guessing Tommy heard the truth," I muttered to Aunt Rosalie as realization came to my mind.

"He went practically nuts when your dad told him," she answered. "And about a half-hour ago, he left the house to find the trail of the killers. Emmett, Jasper and Alice are chasing him with your parents right now to calm him down before he does anything stupid."

Jacob became thoughtful for a second. "Should I send some of my boys after him?"

She gave a thoughtful glance, and then nodded in agreement. "Probably a good idea. Just tell them to block his path, and not try anything to upset him. They don't know how powerful he is."

"I know. Edward wouldn't let Bella go along if he didn't know that she was the only one who could stop him. He cares about her and Nessie's safety more than anyone else's. I'll follow on my way to them."

_"Don't bother,"_ Uncle Emmett called from outside.

And there they all were. Mom and Dad entered through the front door with Aunt Alice and Uncle Jasper closely behind them, and Tommy and Uncle Emmett followed. When I looked to Tommy's face, he _seemed_ calm. It was probably Uncle Jasper's work though. But when I looked to them, they were as relaxed as he was.

The three of us looked at them calmly, partly ready to take action if something happened. Tommy's eyes turned to me sheepishly, and smiled a tiny smile.

"Hey, Nessie," he greeted calmly.

I waved and greeted back. "Hey."

Dad grinned as he observed us. Tommy looked away and took a slow breath. "I'm gonna head upstairs to take a shower. And then I'm gonna fix this mess," his eyes rolled to the hallway and the living room. Then, he headed upstairs.

"What happened?" Aunt Rosalie asked before any of us could try.

Dad took a step forward. "We managed to calm him down and talk some sense into him."

"Any casualties along the way?" Jacob asked with a hint of bitterness in his voice.

Uncle Jasper and Aunt Alice looked to each other and smiled, Mom and Dad just grinned.

Uncle Emmett, on the other hand, giggled and answered. "He felt thirsty afterwards, and tagged us along on an early hunting trip. Does that count?"

Jacob's eyes lit up and then his voice burst into a pealing laugh. Aunt Rosalie laughed with him.

Mom changed the subject. "How was your day, then?"

Jacob's eyes met mine as we reminisced our float to the stars in our little space. The thought alone was enough to make me levitate. He flashed my favorite smile, and held my hand. Then we turned our focus back to them.

Dad was already smiling as he picked up our thoughts, and Uncle Jasper flashed the same enthusiasm. Mom, Aunt Alice and Aunt Rosalie looked in suspicion. Then their faces lightened by realization.

Uncle Emmett realized that he was more oblivious to the atmosphere and grunted in frustration. "What's going on now?"

Aunt Rosalie turned to him, holding her smile. "Emmett, you're so cute when you're oblivious," she said with a sweet tone. The room was suddenly filled with trilling sounds of laughter, aside from Uncle Emmett's annoyed grunting.

Just then, Grandma called from the kitchen. "Nessie, dinner's ready. Oh, and Jacob, you're welcome to eat too."

There was something in the atmosphere that didn't feel quite right, despite the happy mood. I had the edge of feeling that my family knew something about Jacob that I didn't. Expectant, almost. What was I missing out on?

Dad's smile faded a little bit when he picked up my thoughts. I looked at him thoughtfully.

_"Did I miss something?"_ I asked with my thoughts.

His smile faded a little bit more, his eyes focused intently on me and Jacob. Jacob met my eyes, his smile faded away and looked nervous. That was all the evidence I needed.

"Jacob, maybe you should tell her everything after dinner," Dad suggested.

He looked back to Dad for a moment and then nodded nervously. Now, everyone looked intently at me and Jacob.

I realized that they all knew something that I didn't.

"What? What're you hiding?" I had to ask.

Jacob swallowed. "I'll tell you after dinner, Nessie. Come on."

He held my hand and dragged me into the dining room.

* * *

><p>Nothing felt weird during dinner. Aunt Alice discussed her ideas for Aunt Rosalie's wardrobe... again. Uncle Emmett and Uncle Jasper played chess in the far corner of the living room, and Mom and Dad watched TV. Tommy helped Grandma clean up after she finished cooking, and made small conversations about movies and arts.<p>

Jacob had his mouth stuffed with food, sitting next to me. The distance was barely small enough to feel closeness for both of us.

Nothing out of the ordinary, but the strange feeling of me missing something never faded away. It just kept itself at bay until it was time to resurface.

"That was great, thank you, Esme," Jacob thanked Grandma, handing her his empty plate.

"You're always welcome, Jacob," she replied with a smile on her face, and then turned to me. "Are you done, Nessie? Do you want some more?"

I shook my head. My stomach was full of food. Besides, I wanted to talk to Jacob about what I was missing, what Dad meant by telling me _everything_.

I looked at him deliberately. His expression was completely intent, almost anxious and worried. His eyes stared into the air, as if he was trying to piece together the words that he was about to say. And then I saw his throat swallow nervously. After a few long minutes, he finally turned to me. "Come take a walk with me."

I nodded willingly and followed him out the front door. Once again, I noticed everyone's weird glances placed on the large windows. They looked almost as anxious as Jacob, except Uncle Emmett who was grinning teasingly. And that made me anxious, too. Whatever secret he was about to tell me was gonna be epic.

We were out of Dad's hearing range after walking in the forest for a half hour.

He crossed his arms and had his shoulder rested on a big tree. "Okay, here it goes..." he muttered quietly, and then louder. "Nessie."

The way he said my name made me a little nervous.

He breathed deeply. "Are you familiar with the word 'imprinting'?"

I thought about it, and found no memory that included the word. I shook my head. "What does it mean?"

He swallowed nervously. "It's something that happens to certain wolves in my tribe. It means that when you find your soulmate, the world changes for you. Everything that you ever held dear to becomes no more important than her. It's like your whole existence is to please your soulmate. You will do anything and be anything for her. Like she's the reason that you're still held to this earth. Mostly, they end up as couples, but there have been exceptions, like Quil."

"Quil?"

"You remember how Quil treated Claire?"

The memory came to the surface like a shock. I nodded in acknowledgement. "He always treated her the way you treated me. Like he cared for her more than anything in the world."

"Yes, exactly."

I breathed slowly. "Okay..."

"It happened to Sam, Jared, Quil, Ricky, and my brother-in-law Paul. And it happened to me."

I thought for a moment. Then it finally made sense, and I asked in a dazed voice. "_I'm_ your soulmate?"

He swallowed again and nodded slowly, confirming my question. He leaned away from the tree now and took a careful step toward me. "But I want to you know that it doesn't mean that you have to be my girlfriend, Nessie. I won't ever make you do anything against your will. If you want me to go away, I'll leave this instant."

I froze, stunned. For a long minute, I was drowned in my own thoughts. Despite there were so many rooms in my brain, it was hard to adapt the shock. When it did, a thrill traveled to my core. I was completely amazed by the fact that I meant more to Jacob than anyone ever had and ever will.

I smiled at this new information. Thinking about that I was Jacob's soulmate made me feel beyond content and joyful.

I turned to him and his face showed fear and worry, like my decision meant the entire world to him. The innocence in his eyes told me that his heart would easily break if I rejected him, which I had no intention to.

I closed the distance between us and placed my hand on his face to tell him everything. What I felt since the words sunk into my mind in the past minute, how I felt about the imprinting thing and what I _wanted_.

His lips suddenly pressed against mine, and I lost my concentration. The flaming heat burned on our skins again, and we closed our eyes to let it burn.

He pulled away with a moan escaping his throat. "Nessie, there's..." I kissed him again, and he struggled to continue. "Wait, there's something else."

I didn't open my eyes. "There's more?"

He nodded. "Something you should know about."

I pulled away, but traced my hands down to his to keep our connection intact. "Okay, tell me everything."

He hesitated this time. "Before I met you, your mom and I were very close friends. You know that your mom moved back to Forks when she was 17, right?"

I nodded and then acknowledged. "That's when she met my dad."

"Yes, that's right. Um... I liked her very much back then. But because she was with your dad, we didn't hang out much. But then, an accident happened and your dad left town with the others, and left your mom heartbroken."

I remembered that story clearly. Aunt Alice, Aunt Rosalie and Uncle Jasper told me that an accident occured when Mom turned 18, and that prompted Dad to make his family leave town in order to make her resume a normal life - it didn't go as planned though, she became severely depressed. And it took a long time before she began to heal, until Dad finally came back. I always forced that story into the back of my mind; I'd always had a hard time imagining the two of them apart.

He continued. "While he was gone, your mom was deeply hurt and depressed. When we started hanging out together again, she began to get better. And honestly, I was..."

My smile faded now. Something about his expression told me that he was very scared. "Tell me."

He hesitated for a second. "I was in love with her."

I was shocked. Wordless. Blank.

His eyes bore into mine as he continued. "After your dad came back, I fought for her relentlessly. Even tricked her into admitting her feelings for me."

My eyebrows creased. "How?"

His lips trembled a little. "I threatened to get myself killed in a battle, and asked her to ask me to kiss her. And she did."

I went blank again.

He continued. "She discovered her feelings that way. But she still chose your dad over me. And then they got married and had you... and that's when it all became different. Because of you."

"Because of me?" I asked.

"Before I imprinted on you, your mom and I were drawn to each other. I didn't know why or how that came to be, I just knew that I felt some sort of gravity that made me want to be around her. And after you were born, everything was different for me, and I realized that I was drawn to you. My feelings for your mom disappeared after that and we became friends again."

Some part of me began to lighten up. "Why?"

His lips formed a tiny smile, and he murmured. "Because of you. I looked you in the eye, and everything that ever held me to the planet became no more significant than you."

I tried to hide the brilliance that began to brighten my heart and trembled feelings again, like fire lighting a candle and the light was behind a cloth.

He lifted my hands and looked at me sincerely; I could hear his heart pumping. "I love you, Renesmee Carlie Cullen. And I always will. But I want you to know that I'm no longer the guy who tricked a girl into admitting her feelings for me. And if you want me to go away, I'll understand."

In that instant, I was lost in thoughts. Confusion, happiness, amazement, shock, and surprise all lingered through my body at the same time. I struggled to push aside the mixed feelings. It was hard to deny my happiness, but also hard to completely force away the disturbing knowledge.

I need to sort this out, and I need to make the right decision. For both him and me.

I focused on his eyes again, and told him sincerely. "I need to sort things out first, Jacob. This is too much for me. I need some time to think things through, but I want you to know that I still want you to stay close to me."

He nodded slowly and lowered my hands, releasing them from his.

"We're leaving tomorrow, so I guess I'll see you at the house," I said, and deliberately turned around and walked away. It felt wrong to leave him like this; after everything he'd been through these past few days, I wanted to make him happy, but this was something that I needed to sort out on my own.

My feet struggled against every step I took, like they had minds of their own. I allowed my will to conquer those desires and walked back toward the house. Low sounds of sobbing pierced through my ears. I felt guilty for not turning around.


	14. Bedtime Stories

**CHAPTER 14 - BEDTIME STORIES**

_**Please review this chapter if you like it. A little encouragement could be helpful.**_

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><p><strong>Renesmee<strong>

I followed my and Jacob's scents back to the old house. When I entered, Dad and Mom were waiting in the hallway. He had already caught up with everything in my mind.

"Let's go back to the cottage," I said. "I need some sleep."

"Okay," he answered understandably.

Tommy peeked around the corner.

A sudden idea came to me like the moving fracture of a second. His entertainment was always helpful.

"Tommy, will you accompany us?" I asked.

He grinned, and then emerged from the living room. "Need some bedtime entertainment?"

"If you may."

"I may," he answered teasingly with a nod.

We went back to the cottage in no hurry. Mom and Dad went on to pack their luggage when we got back. After changing into my bed clothes, Tommy tucked me in and sat beside me.

"So what do you wanna see?" he asked, excitement beaming his eyes. He loved to use his power.

I touched his face to show him "H2O: Just Add Water" and cut off where he last showed me.

"Oh, you wanna pick up the last scene?"

I nodded.

"Works for me." He shut his eyes and concentrated.

The room immediately dissolved into a cave with a moon pool. The bed disappeared underneath and my feet touched the ground in the same second. Of course I knew I was _still_ in my bed, he'd only made me think that I wasn't.

The characters appeared in a flash. Charlotte, the self-centered, egocentric mermaid, stood face-to-face with the three mermaids, Emma, Rikki and Cleo. All of them were in human form. Partly hidden behind a wall of rock was the blonde boy, Lewis. Charlotte eyed at the three girls with fierce hostility and hatred, and vice versa. Everything was frozen in time, like a TV had been put on "pause".

Tommy looked to me. "You ready?"

I nodded. He lifted a hand and a carbon box of popcorn appeared. "Popcorn?" he asked as he handed it to me.

"No, thanks," I declined. "It's not real anyway, so it's really not necessary."

He shrugged and ate a handful of popcorn. "Suit yourself."

The time in the illusion moved, and the battle between the mermaids began.

Charlotte sent a three-headed serpent created out of water at the girls, who defended themselves with their own powers. The girls held out their hands together; Rikki waved her arm at the serpent and dropped a powerful lightning bolt, instantly killing the serpent. The girls then redirected to Charlotte, who countered with her own magic, and their powers warred against each other. The warring magic chased each other around like a tornado until one of them got through the circle; Rikki's, Emma's and Cleo's. Charlotte screamed in panic as they dropped her into the moon pool. The moon and the pool water glowed in unison as they sucked away Charlotte's mermaid magic. She resurfaced in human form after the light faded and the moon passed. Emma, Rikki, Cleo and Lewis looked on with conquering grins.

The "show" went on to Cleo getting back the necklace which Charlotte had stolen from, and then shifted to Emma showing her boyfriend her tail. Finally, all three girls ran into the ocean as their boyfriends watched on a giant rock.

In that instant, we were floating underwater and breathing. The girls swam together as mermaids with huge smiles on their faces.

For a moment, I enjoyed the way I floated underwater while breathing and untouched by the waters. It was so real that I could almost believe it.

"Are you gonna show me the part where they meet the new mermaid, _Bella_?" I asked Tommy.

"Sure," he agreed. "Although, technically, only two of them meet her."

"Show me."

In the next two and a half hours, we watched how Cleo and Rikki met Bella, how she saved one of them from a water tentacle, how they worked together to protect their secret and deal with their normal lives. And then shifted to watching the first "Lost Boys" movie, which according to Tommy, was about vampires who get burned by sunlight and involved a lot of fighting and gruesome vampires.

It felt like a joke to see such a ridiculous superstition in media merchandise. Vampires that sleep in coffins, get burned by the sun, vulnerable to holy water and die by wooden stakes driven through the heart. The thought of humans' lack of knowledge and self-assumptions about vampires made me want to laugh.

Tommy ended his night show where Jason Patric floated up to the ceiling uncontrollably. "It's time to sleep, Nessie," he said when I found myself in my bed again.

Looking at his face reminded me of his loss of temper from before. I couldn't help but feel pity for my little uncle. He had a life; a family before some vampires destroyed everything that he held dear. His family, his life, and most of all his humanity.

"Do you miss it?" I whispered.

"What?" he asked.

"Your family, your human life. Everything from before you came into our lives."

His eyebrows creased and his lips tightened. I immediately regretted my questions. He turned to the window and looking into the moonlight that shined in through.

"All the time," he answered in a broken voice. "Although it does feel a bit ironic sometimes. Thinking about them, I mean."

"Why?"

His lips lifted to a little grin as he thought back to the far past.

"My parents were a pain in the ass sometimes, my dad especially. My mom always tried to teach us ancient stuff, like how to be virtuous and be polite, and to be spotless in rumors. She had a pretty rough life as a child, you know. Not at all like yours, or your parents', or even mine. It was what shaped her personality. Her thoughts were pretty old, but she was very kind and loving. She worked at a daycare center, and all the kids loved her. My dad, on the other hand, was another story. He wasn't the kind of father like Edward, he always did what he pleased, what he thought was right. And when some of us did something wrong, he would snap at us like we had commited some sort of crime. There was even a time when he caused a major rip in our family, and I hated him for that. Sometimes, I just quietly wished for him to leave and never come back." His grin faded a tiniest bit. "Now that he's finally gone, it's just ironic to miss him."

"What were your sisters like?" I changed the subject.

His lips lifted again and chuckled. "Well, they were such order-arounds. I always felt like a little brother rather than a big brother. They always acted like they were princesses and I was their resident servant, always doing what they asked. My youngest sister was actually born here in America. For some reason, she became afraid of seeing insects as a teenager, even shied away from butterflies." He chuckled again. "My other sister was really strong in personality, very independent and never wanted anyone to tell her what to do. Unless she allowed them to. She was closer to my dad because she thought that mom was old faschioned. Also, she wouldn't let anyone pick on me, except her."

He smiled at the funny memories. I laughed too. I was instantly jealous that he had sisters. I never did.

I had a family that loved me more than anything else, and I was content, but at certain times it felt lonely for being an only child.

He turned to me again, his face shifted to sadness. "Nessie, when I became a vampire, I found a place in this new family. But I never forgot about my old one. There are things that cannot be replaced, or shouldn't anyway. If you find someone that you really like, you shouldn't let anything stop you from being with him. You have to, at least try to get past whatever obstacle is laid out in front of you, because that's the only way you can make something. To change something."

I knew what he meant. "Dad told you about what happened between Jacob and I, didn't he?"

His lips twisted and made an innocent face.

"Just think carefully," he said and then changed the subject. "All right, I better let you sleep before your parents yell at me for entertaining you too long. Good night, Nessie."

"Good night, Tommy," I replied.

He kissed my forehead and dashed out of the room. Right after that, Mom appeared outside the door.

"Good night, Nessie," she said and readied to turn off the light.

"Wait," I asked. "Come sit with me for a few minutes."

"Nessie, you gotta sleep."

"Please? Just a few minutes," I persisted.

She nodded in defeat and came to sit beside me.

"I want to ask you something."

"About what?"

I took a deliberate moment to think through my questions, careful not to offend her. "How close were you to Jacob when Dad left you?"

This question caught her off guard. She looked to the window and took a few deep breaths, as if she was thinking through her answers. After a moment, she finally answered. "So close that I never wanted him to leave. When your father left, I was completely devastated. And even though I went back to my average days and tried to be normal, the situation never got better for me. I was a lifeless zombie... until Jake helped me. He made me feel alive again. Everytime I was with him, the pain was pushed to the back of my mind."

I stared into her eyes. "He said that he fought for you after Dad came back?"

She nodded. "Yes, neither of them wanted to let me go. Your dad didn't want me near Jake, and he wanted the same. In fact, when I told him that I decided to become a vampire, he went totally ballistic. So they declared war for my decision... and believe me, they fought dirty." She grinned harshly at the memories.

"How dirty?" I asked.

"Well, your dad tricked me into mentioning that we were engaged while Jake was listening, and he pretended to be noble... to trick me into asking him to kiss me, as a means to give him a good reason to not get himself killed. It was a way to make me realize that I was in love with him, too."

"Were you?"

She nodded after a second of hesitation. "I was."

I gasped. She remained calm.

"But I loved your father more. That's why I chose him. He was very devastated with my decision, and highly upset. He planned on living life as a wolf... until you unexpectedly came into the family, and that changed him."

"Because he imprinted on me?" I asked, though my echoing question was rhetorical.

"Not just that. Our feelings for each other changed when I became a vampire. Nessie, things are different between us now."

I nodded. "I know. I've always seen that." Of course I knew.

When Jacob looked at her, there was friendliness and a close bond. But when he looked at me, there was love, devotion and comfort. His love for me was different, and now I knew why.

"What do I do?" I whispered.

She didn't even ask what I was referring to. "That's for you to decide. But know that no matter what you decide, I will always support you."

I nodded slowly.

"Now, get some sleep. We're leaving early tomorrow. Gotta see Grandpa Charlie before then."

She leaned down and kissed my forehead, then darted to the door and turned off the light. "Good night, Sweetie."

"Good night."

She gently closed the door behind her.

I looked to the window that glowed moonlight to the lower parts of my bed. Somehow, it felt oddly comfortable to be showered by it. I was instantly reminded of my old life here. This room shined with a gentle glow, like my skin exposed to sunlight. My eyes closed to welcome the sleep that was clearly on its way, but my mind kept racing back to old histories.

I was out in minutes.

**Bella**

I looked out the window of our old bedroom. Edward wrapped his arms around my shoulders and rested his chin next to me.

"Worried about Jake, love?" he whispered.

I nodded. "A little. He went through so much pain when he fought for me, and now he has to go down the same spiral with Nessie."

He kissed my cheek. "They'll work it out."

His lips moved down to my neck and shoulder, and then all the worries disappeared.


	15. Morning

**CHAPTER 15 - MORNING**

_**Please review this chapter if you like it. A little encouragement could be helpful.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Jacob<strong>

Morning came in hours. I ran out of the house and phased for a spin before the sun broke through the sky. I needed a distraction from everything. My dad's death and Nessie's rejection. I would carry it all to the breeze of the sun, let it blow away all of my worries until they come back later.

Someone entered my mind.

_Yo, Jake,_ Seth's voice greeted in my head.

_Hey, Seth,_ my voice sounded dead even in my mind.

_What's up, is everything alright?_

I reminisced last night for a second.

_Oh, I'm sorry, man. That must be rough. And with everything that's been going on..._

I changed the subject. _So, has there been any new leads?_

_Quil and Embry went patrolling last night. Nothing new, though._

_Okay. That's good. Guess those bloodsuckers were just passing through._

_Aren't they usually?_ his thoughts snorted. _Anyway, I'm just working off some speed. I can leave if you wanna be alone._

_That would be generous of you, Seth, but I won't mind some company. Got two hours to kill before I leave._

His thoughts delighted.

_So how's Leah? We hardly talked,_ I asked. She hadn't been in touch for a while. Though she was present at the funeral, we only talked for a few minutes and shared condolences.

_She's great,_ he answered._ Those yoga lessons have done her well, she's totally in control with her wolf parts._

It felt good to know that she was doing so well with her goal. She deserved it after everything that happened.

We spent the next hour taking random conversations, and then Embry and Quil joined in.

_Hey, what's up, man?_ Embry asked. _How're you doing?_

_I'm fine, thanks, how about you two?_

_Oh, we're just doing great,_ Quil answered. _Claire's excited to go to a friend's party, and I'm invited._

There are an edge to his thought that made Embry snort. _He's a little overly excited for Claire._

_I can sense that._

_What? I'm not allowed to do that? Emily's finally comfortable with me around her niece. Surely you know the feeling, Jake._

_Mm... yeah, I do. Nessie just had a birthday party last Sunday. I'd been excited for her too._

Jealousy wheeled in fromt Seth's thoughts. _Oh, this isn't fair. Why can't I imprint on someone? I wanna feel what you guys feel, too._

Ricky joined us now. _Urgh, great. And here I thought I was the only one._

_Hello to you too, Ricky. How's Nina?_

_Hey, Jake. Yeah, she's doing great. Sorry about your loss, man._

_Thanks. What time is it now?_

Ricky thought back to the moment before he phased. His memory activated a shock in my own head.

_Oh my God,_ I snapped. _I gotta go back and pack. _My paws stomped on the ground, my legs twitched and my speed slowed, then I turned back to where I came and ran 10 times faster._ Sorry I couldn't stay longer, guys. I'll see you soon, okay?_

_Yes,_ Embry replied just as Quil said. _Of course._

_See you soon, Jake._ Seth's voice.

_Bye._ Ricky's.

I phased at the end of the forest, and then jogged back to the house.

In the next hour, I packed what little I had brought with me. Clothes, money, keys, ID, license. When I was done with most of it, I picked up the little box that contained Mom's ring. The last gift from my parents.

Rebecca and Rachel knocked the door and entered my old bedroom.

"Everything set?" Rebecca asked.

"Yeah," I answered casually as I stuffed the box into the side of my bag. "Pretty much everything." Then I changed the subject. "What about you? Are you and Sol gonna stay for a few more days?"

She nodded. "We're leaving on Sunday."

The moment turned quiet for us, like a change in the atmosphere.

Until I finally broke it.

"I better go," I whispered.

I zipped my bag and then pulled Rebecca into a tight hug.

"Miss you, Becca," I whispered in her ear.

"I miss you, too, Little Jake," she whispered back and breathed into my hot shoulder. "Can't believe you've grown so big."

"Can't believe you're still kid-less after all these years."

She mock-punched my chest and laughed. "Some things take time. And besides, I'm in no hurry to have kids."

This was it and I knew it. It was time to once again leave the house that I grew up in.

I grabbed the bag and left the empty room. Rebecca walked me to the front door where Paul, Sol and Rachel waited. I embraced Rachel carefully as we said goodbye.

"Tell me when my little nephew's out, okay? Would like to see him get a name," I murmured.

"Sure thing, take care, Jake," she said. Tears welled down her cheeks as she sobbed.

"Take care."

We released, just as Paul rested a hand on my shoulder, and I embraced him. "Take care of my sister, man."

"Sure thing, Jake," he answered.

Lowell and I shook hands. "See you, Jacob."

"You, too."

I walked past my family into the lawn to my Harley and walked a few paces into the road. Then, I started the engine and rode off. Low sobbing and crying echoed behind me as I left my childhood home.

* * *

><p>The Cullens gathered outside the huge house as they waited for me. Bella and Edward were closest to me; their arms wrapped around each other as they smiled in my direction. Not all of them were on the lawn, though. Tommy played on the roof, balanced with one leg like a circus performer. Emmett and Rosalie watched the show from a high point of a tree in anticipation.<p>

Carlisle and Esme watched the show from the lot. Alice and Jasper were in the Porsche, listening to old style music. Louis Armstrong?

I turned off the engine and climbed off the bike. My eyes constantly flickered around the faces and the house, looking for one face. Then she stepped out of the front door. My lips automatically lit up to the hinges of my face as soon as I saw her face.

But then I remembered last night, when she told me that she needed time to think things through before she could make a decision. The thought alone made my smile drop to a half-smile. I wasn't sure if she'd made her choice yet, though, but I wasn't in any hurry to find out either. My top priority was to keep her happy.

I just wished that there was something I could do for her besides being patient.

Her face lit up to a tiny smile. Was she glad to see me? I hoped she was.

She flipped her head to another side for a second; a signal.

Edward grinned at me like a gentleman and answered my question. "She wants to talk to you. We'll give you two a minute."

Bella smiled comfortably.

Nessie walked away from the house towards the river. I quickly jogged across the lawn until I was a few steps behind her. I could sense the different sets of eyes focused intently on us. Even Tommy had stopped playing his balancing.

We stopped by the side of the river, and she turned around without looking at me. Her face expressed nervous as her eyes focused on the floor. And I reflected that move.

After a moment, she opened her mouth. "Jacob... I thought about what you said last night. But before I make a decision, I need to ask you something. And all I want, all I need is a sincere answer."

I nodded. "You can ask me anything."

She swallowed hard. "When you said you loved me in that cave, did you mean it?"

"Yes," I answered with all honesty. "I love you more than anyone. And I know that there won't ever, ever be anyone else that I will love more than you."

She nodded, her lips lifted to a smile. "Then I got nothing to worry about. I trust you with every word." Her warm hand lifted mine and nudged it gently, sending a shock up to my arm. "I love you, too, Jake."

The intense sensation glowed inside me, and I found my lips crunching on hers. Her hands brushed up to my shoulders and then wrapped around my neck. Tight. I never wanted her to let go.

Laughter and throat clearing reminded me that we were not alone, and that it was impolite to be kissing so intently in front of everyone. I forced myself out of Nessie's grip to face the others. Edward's previous gentle face had shifted to that of an angry wild creature, like he wanted to rip my limbs off. Bella's was blank, like she didn't expect anything. Carlisle and Esme watched quietly in the far back, looking gentle as ever. Emmett laughed out loud like he'd seen the funniest show of his life and Rosalie laughed with him. Tommy looked away and shook his head while laughing. Alice grimaced a little bit and Jasper simply grinned in our direction.

Not wanting to let go, I seeped my hand through her fingers and attached it to her palm. "Let's go."

"Yeah," she agreed quickly. "We need to see Grandpa Charlie and Grandma Sue before we leave."

We began to walk back to the house.

"_Jake?_" I asked as soon as it occured to me that she'd never called me that before.

"It's what Mom calls you, isn't it?"

I laughed loudly.


	16. Rumors and Worries

**CHAPTER 16 - RUMORS AND WORRIES**

_**Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement could be helpful.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Renesmee<strong>

Weekend came the day after we came back to Cloverdale. Mom and Dad went to the Disturbing Nevada concert on Saturday. Everyone else, except Aunt Alice and Uncle Jasper, went hunting while I studied with Jake. Every now and then, the others looked at us with strange eyes, like they were looking at a beautifully decorated Christmas tree about as tall as a six level building. Dad, though, flashed at Jake with a somewhat hostile glare, but he never did anything other than telling us to stop when we were too intimate, in discreet manner. And even now that I knew that Mom was once in love with Jacob a long time ago, she was content and happy for our sake.

"I'm happy for you, of course," she said one night when I asked her how she felt with me being a couple with Jacob. "Nessie, I'm happy for both you and him. I came to terms with your relationship a long time ago, and I haven't looked back once since I chose to be with your father."

I believed her with those words. She never lied to me about her choices in life.

School started again on Monday. And though the morning was a little gloomy, the atmosphere was sunny to me. Jake was coming to pick me up while the others went to school by themselves fifteen minutes early. Dad didn't seem happy much, but he went with them anyway. When you want to be alone with your boyfriend, you don't want a telepathic father eavesdropping on your thoughts.

Jacob arrived three minutes after the others left. The way he appeared with his Harley made him glow dashingly. My eyes had a very hard time removing from his direction. He looked to me with a huge smile, like he was as happy to see me as I was.

I walked across the porch to his side.

"Hey, Nessie," he greeted as we embraced. His hot skin rested comfortably against mine.

"Hey," I whispered.

If I didn't know that we had to get to school on time, I would have held him tight against me forever. Where he belonged. So I gently pulled myself out of his arms.

"We have to get to school, Jacob," I urged. "Otherwise we'll be in more trouble than we can afford."

He sighed and dropped his arms. His handsome smile caught me off guard.

"Let's go then," he said while handing me a helmet (not that I needed it).

Yeah! Let's go and make it official. This was nothing to be kept secret for. I wanted people to see how lucky I was to have this handsome and lovely man by my side.

I put on the helmet and sat behind Jacob, and wrapped my arms around him just before he turned on the engine.

By the time we parked in the school's parking lot, eyeshots of different expressions surrounded us from everywhere. Then again, why wouldn't it be conspicuous? We'd only been to school for 3 weeks, but it was made clear to everyone that Jacob and I never rode a bike together to school before.

I climbed off the bike and gave him the helmet.

The first eyeshots I found familiar came from Julie and Katherine. Low whispers started echoing in my ears.

"Am I imagining it or did that Cullen girl just ride that hottie's motorcycle?" Alicia Brooks questioned quietly.

The next whisper came from Katherine. "Maybe they were spending the week together on some deserted island rather than that funeral story that's been spreading."

Why, that felt annoying. Jacob's father passed away, and they thought of it as a cover story?

"Do you think they're together, like _together_-together?" Allen Baker asked his friends.

"Guess I'm out of the running for the hottest girl in school," Frank Vayne muttered to himself.

Okay! This was getting weird. We hurried out of the lot; I avoided looking at Katherine and Julie on the way. But weird glances continued to shoot at us everywhere we went. When we got into the hall, Aunt Alice, Mom and Aunt Rosalie waited expectantly in the lobby with dimpled smiles on their faces.

"Are you stalking us?" I half-teased.

"No," Aunt Alice answered in a chimed voice. "But you do know that you have class with us in about two minutes. And Jasper and Edward got Tommy to the bathroom. He, I _stalked_."

"And he called your aunt _Phoebe_ again," Mom interjected.

Jacob and I laughed.

Phoebe Halliwell from _Charmed_; always been Tommy's favorite TV show before season five. Of course he would call Aunt Alice "Phoebe", because they had a similar power. But in his opinion, he found the character's power much more powerful than Aunt Alice's, although hers was much more controlled and efficient.

"Come on, we gotta go, we've missed a week," Aunt Rosalie urged.

I looked to Jacob, his face was composed. We were thinking the same thing.

I turned back to them. "You go first, I'll be right there."

Aunt Rosalie made a composed face.

"I'll be on time," I insisted.

Mom was the one who agreed. "Don't be late."

She pulled Aunt Rosalie's hand and left with Aunt Alice following closely behind. Once their footsteps disappeared in the distance, I looked back to Jacob. He smiled huge.

"What's with the send away?" he asked.

I snorted. "Do you even have to ask?"

I stood on my toes and leaned up to kiss him. This time genuinely gentle; I had to constantly tell myself that we were in a public place and shouldn't be too intimate with the kiss. He must've felt the same way; his hands touched my hips, but didn't go further.

Talking voices shifted, footsteps stopped and eyes focused entirely on us. I pulled away reluctantly before we could kiss any further. I was feeling the urge to jump on to his body the whole time. Better stop before I lost control of that. The main hall was too open to be making out in the center.

"I'll see you at lunch," I murmured, giggling.

He grunted. "That's like 2 hours away."

I began to walk away, my hand moved from his arm down to his hand until my fingers slipped away.

"I know. We'll just have to endure it till then."

He sighed and lowered his head. I turned and walked away.

Government went smoothly. Mr. Wallace didn't bother to ask me questions. He knew that I had all the answers ever since the first week I spent in his class. No matter what he asked, I always answered without fault. After that first week, he began to ignore me. Like many other people around here.

Martie greeted me casually, but otherwise didn't say anything else during class. I couldn't understand. He was always treating me so nicely. Even Dad approved of his thoughts. So why did he suddenly become so distant? What could have happened to our friendship? Did I do something that I didn't know I did? I decided to wait with the questions till class was over.

The hour passed very quickly.

I went to his side before he finished packing his books. "Hey, Martie."

He looked up and said, "Hi."

"Um... is something wrong?"

His brows furrowed. "No, why?"

I tried to be as polite as possible. "It's just that you haven't talked in class, and you usually talk a lot. To me, anyway. And today you're just a little quiet."

"Oh," he worded. It took a few seconds before started talking again. "It's nothing. I'm just not very talkative at the moment." He changed the subject quickly. "How's Jacob? Is he alright?"

I knew what he meant.

"He's fine. You know, considering the circumstances," I answered.

He nodded. "Give him my condolences."

"Okay."

Before we could exchange another word, he picked up his bag and left saying, "See you later."

Martie sat with his old friends again at lunch rather than with my family. This felt very disturbing. What could have happened? Occasionally, he peeped in my direction.

"He's not ignoring you, Nessie," Dad answered my thought. "At least not entirely. Someone's been spreading rumors about us while we were gone." His face composed a little.

"What rumors are they?" Tommy asked - taking my line.

"What _aren't_ they?" Uncle Emmett asked with a teasing tone.

The answers came differently.

"That we've gone to a week-long party in Canada. That we were committing serious crimes. That we were trying to solve Jacob's fahter's murder case. That Nessie and Jacob were on some romantic getaway vacation. Seeing you and Jacob kiss in the hallway seemed to rise a few more tensions."

Mom shook her head in disbelief. "Stupid kids."

Jacob came into the cafeteria. At last. I was beginning to feel even more disturbed by the ridiculous rumors. But what if they won't stop? What if it all continued and the rumors got worse every day? We were seen making out in the hall and already the words were beginning to intensify.

We filled him in on the rumors quickly.

"Ridiculous kids," he muttered in frustration. "Always looking for excitement from rumors."

I looked over my shoulder to Martie again. He looked sheepishly in my direction and then turned away. Suddenly, I felt like I'd never had a friend to begin with. That from the first day of school, everything was just an act: a fake. According to my family, it was common in human friendships. No one would really care about one another like they say they would.

"It's also common for people to really care for others, Nessie. You just need to know the right persons," Dad corrected my thoughts.

I turned to Mom for help. She knew what I wanted the moment she looked into my eyes. "There. All better, Sweetie," she assured with a grin.

Aunt Alice, Aunt Rosalie and Uncle Emmett giggled while Uncle Jasper and Tommy grinned. Dad shook his head and sighed. There was something fishy in the air around us, as far as I could tell.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

"Nothing, nothing really," Uncle Emmett mused. "It's just that your mom's been shielding us since we got here. Well, all except Tommy."

My eyes widened in surprise, and so did Jacob.

"Why?" he asked curiously.

"Because we all got plans that we don't want him to hear."

"Your mom will be shielding them till after lunch hour," Tommy interjected.

"And by then _I_ will have everything well-planned," Aunt Alice concluded.

Dad grinned at Mom with a teasing expression.

"They love to turn me against you," she sighed.

"Can't blame them. They do like the privacy," his eyes flickered to Uncle Emmett. "And frankly, I'm done with Emmett's thoughts."

Uncle Emmett snorted.

I used the silent exchange to look to Martie again. His eyes were focused on me for a second before turning away again.

"Should I knock the jaw out of him?" Jacob offered, reading my move.

I shook my head. "No, let's not make it that big of a deal. Just play it by ear."

Yes, that was what we were going to do. Play it by ear. If anything new came up, a new rumor, any unexpected false story. We'll act then. It was probably immature to make a statement to clear a rumor anyway.

I reached out to his hand. His heat was so warm against my skin that it felt natural to have it on my hand. Comfortable. Somehow his touch made me forget all the worries in my head.


	17. Screen Show

**CHAPTER 17 - SCREEN SHOW**

_**Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Jacob<strong>

"What is it, Jake?" Tommy asked.

I took him into the men's room and made sure that no one was inside. This was something that needed help for. Edward would probably have some great ideas, but he was Nessie's father, so it would feel weird to ask him for advice. Jasper didn't seem as experienced on the subject, he already had Alice. Emmett would probably come up with the most ridiculous ideas to make a nice laugh. It would feel weird to ask Bella for advice; Alice was better in the dressing-up-for-dates department. Blondie was the one bloodsucker I didn't want to confide in.

Tommy was closer with the times, so he could know something. His power of illusion might help come up with a few ideas, too.

I gulped.

"Tommy, you're closer with the times," I began. "Do you know anything that revolves around dating in high school?"

His jaw opened for a minute. "You're asking me?" He burst into laughter and waved with his hands. "Hello, wrong vampire! I can't help you with that department."

"I know, I know. But you watch movies, right? Isn't that sort of how you got your power anyway?"

He looked deliberately at nothing for a moment, and then nodded.

"I need a little help. Please?" I begged. "I want to ask Nessie out on a date, but I don't want to screw it up. And I think you might be able to help, with the modest times and all."

His face crunched together in anguish, which I didn't understand. For a long minute, he didn't say anything.

Finally, he began. "Don't you usually have the best ideas with having fun?"

"Yes, I do. But the truth is I've never been out on an official date before. Not even when I was with Bella. And when I think about taking Nessie out, my mind gets blown. Like it can't function as well as it usually is."

He nodded. Then he looked to the door just as four of boys entered, talking in laughter, but stopped when they saw us. I waved politely at them.

"Hey."

"Hey," two of them greeted back at the same time while the other two just waved. Then, they resumed to their original topic. Tommy observed them for a moment, and then came closer to my side.

"We'll talk about it after school, okay? I'll try to come up with something in the meantime and ask Edward not to spill the beans, he's probably listening anyway," he murmured.

I acknowledged with a nod. He headed out of the toilet for class. And I left about 10 seconds later.

* * *

><p>After school, I asked Nessie to go home with her family while Tommy stayed behind with me. Edward helped a little, too, by telling her that we needed to have a little talk before I could go to her home.<p>

Tommy led me up to the school's roof, where he preferred to perform his _magic_ in private.

"All right. Look, I dug up a few things from whatever movies or TV shows that I could come up with, and mixed it all together with what seemed appropriate," he explained. "But basically, every girl is different, so the way of having a date is also different depending on how you make it. Also, I can't really tell you what kind of date to settle for. It is _your_ date after all, so it's your job to come up with the right theme. I only give suggestions, okay?"

I nodded.

He turned to a wall and waved his hand, and a 3D screen appeared on the wall with perfect features of a wide blank.

"You waved your hand out of fun, didn't ya?" I asked teasingly.

He answered with a simple noise. "M-hm."

The screen showed a wide open park of people, eating on a picnic. The atmosphere of it was warm like sunshine. Two characters played throwing frisbees in the center of the park. Tommy explained as he showed me the pictures. "A picnic in a wide open park, where people not only eat, but at the same time enjoy the sun and the free space where they play all day long." The screen shifted to a completely different scene: a dark, quiet but public restaurant with customers served by waiters and waitresses. In the background, there was music that went smoothly with the air. Jazz? "A quiet, romantic dinner at an expensive restaurant at night, with jazz and country to smooth you into romance. Best suggestion, Italian or French, they're pretty much the best with flowing the mood. Use some pretty great champagne to celebrate your first date ever." One of the characters offered the other a bouquet of roses. He continued. "A bouquet of roses - in the language of flowers means "eternal love". To show her how much you truly care about her. If you can afford, bring some jewelry as a gift. An extra treat." The screen shifted yet again to a large beach shunned by an orange glowing sun. How typical. "The beach where you can walk barefoot and feel the warmth or go for a nice swim and then go for a nice Sundae." I could see it then. A little store at the end of the sands lying closer to the borders of the woods and parking lot than the beach. The screen then shifted again; this time to a street full of people walking in and out and around a movie theater. "A romantic movie night watching what you both agree to see and then a walk downtown. Better to avoid any movie that involves blood. Comedies and actions are highly recommended." Again. This time to a gigantic theme park filled with activities, running rollercoasters, active games and people filling all space and a stage of performers singing live. "A theme park where you can play to your hearts' content. Best places to eat, play, ride and watch awesome performances."

With a snap on his fingers, the illusion dissolved.

He turned to me in an instant. "Personally, I'd go for a combination of theme park, lunch picnic, and dinner. But take the advice or miss it, that's up to you. Also, don't take boat trips, they're only romantic in the books."

I nodded with an impression on my face. He didn't have much experience of dating, but his imagination made quite a replacement for such suggestions.

Our eyes flickered around the roof. We had better leave the area before the janitor arrived to work.

"C'mon, we'd better leave before we get caught," I urged.

"Um... we're not gonna get caught," he said confidently, and pointed to his head to prove his point.

"Okay, but I've promised to go to Nessie as soon as possible. Gotta work up the courage to ask her out on the date fast. Not to mention think through the ideas."

He sighed and nodded. "Okay, you're right. Let's go."

We snuck down the staircase without notice, and then left the grounds. Tommy had preferred to run, but I insisted we use my bike instead for precaution and avoid unpredictable exposure.

**Thomas**

We arrived at the house in less than a half-hour. Nessie was already waiting on the porch, accompanied by Bella. Her face lit up the moment she saw us drive off the highway.

"Hey, sorry it took so long," I apologized.

"That's okay," Bella reassured.

Nessie darted into Jacob's open arms in an instant. Her scent flew past my face as she did. He shined a huge grin as she clutched her arms around him, like neither of them ever wanted it any other way.

Seeing them together sent a sudden wave of fuzzy memories into my brain.

I turned away my sight, not wanting the uneasy feeling to disturb the couple. They deserved this moment. The sound of their happy giggles sent the memories flushing further into my mind. I didn't want to remember. I'd worked so hard to keep them hidden in the toilet and on the roof, but now they were beginning to flood my brain. I have to keep them away until I could let out in private.

A window to the third floor - my room - opened, and Edward peaked down on us. Or more specifically on me. He was giving me an exit. I darted to the walls without thinking and climbed my way up and flew in through the window.

"Thanks, Eddie," I whispered and closed the window behind me, making sure that no one heard me.

"You're welcome," he replied.

Unable to help myself, I looked back down on Nessie and Jacob, who had already released each other. Yet the glittering smiles made me weary. Some memories of the past, the human life that I'd tried to forget suddenly came rushing into my vampire brain, flowing through every cell as if it was trying to flood all space it could find. And Edward knew that.

"Should I get Jasper?" he asked warily.

I shook my head. "I just need a minute alone. And you should probably keep "Phoebe" from _looking_."

He nodded and left me to myself.

I lied down on my empty bed, using deep breaths to keep myself calm. My head rested on the feather pillows as I tried to focus on listening rather than thinking. It was always hard to not think when I was human, and it got worse now that I became a vampire; but I'd trained myself before, and the progress got better over time. I allowed the sounds of my surroundings take away my thoughts. It worked. I was lost to the noises of dripping water, insects that flew past the window.

_"Will you go out with me on Saturday?"_ Jacob's voice echoed in through the window.

_"I'd love to,"_ Nessie's voice practically screamed.

That broke my success. The memories came back again, sharper and stronger. I snarled lowly in anguish.

Her face suddenly appeared in front of my eyes. The long black hair that ran down to her waist, the beautiful dark brown eyes stored perfectly into her round face. Just like I remembered.

I wanted nothing more than to touch her, feel her cheek against my hand.

But it wasn't going to happen. She must be out in the world, fulfilling her dreams, singing on stage somewhere. Finding her own match.

And I must always, always be away from my old life. Dead to everyone I'd ever known. Hidden from the world. Not that I liked living in it anyways.

But June... she will always be the one and only connection I ever hold on to my human self. The part that will always be with me. And I knew that I will always love her.


	18. First Date

**CHAPTER 18 - FIRST DATE**

_**Please review if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Renesmee<strong>

Saturday came bright and early. Brighter than usual. It was as if some sort of subtle signal was sent to wake me up.

Today was the day. My first date with Jacob. Ever.

Aunt Alice knocked the door and entered without waiting for an answer.

"Good morning, Nessie," she said.

"Good morning, Aunt Alice," I replied and flipped on top of my bed, shoving away the sheets in the process.

She giggled excitedly. "You're excited, aren't you?"

I nodded sharply, and then checked the clock. Two hours till 10. Oh, my God! Gotta get ready now! I leaped across the bedroom from my bed to the private bathroom to brush my teeth and shower. When I was came out, Aunt Rosalie and Mom joined Aunt Alice in the room. All three of them looked happy and eager.

Whatever they were plotting, I couldn't imagine.

**Jacob**

My eyes fluttered open. Two things occured to my mind. First, all that I could think about was feeling tired and sleepy. Next, this was the day. The day that I take Nessie out on an official date. My first date, ever. And with my most exquisitely beautiful girl.

I leaped out of bed to check the clock. 8 o'clock. There was still enough time to make a 20-minutes spin in the woods and come back for dress-up. I took off my underwear and ran out through the backdoor, and phased mid-jump into the trees. No one seemed to have phased, because I heard no one's mind, except my own. The forest seemed more lively than usual today. Small living beings crawled on trees, birds fluttered with their wings as they flew. It was like this day was made from my mood. The breeze was sweetly fresh, dry and warm, even for mid-September. There wouldn't be any rain for at least a half-day. I was totally psyched for the day ahead.

I went back to the wooden house after 15 minutes instead of 20, and raided through the closet organized by Alice. Seriously, she needed to lower her devotion to fashion.

I picked out a red shirt, a pair of jeans and a brown leather jacket that looked decent enough for a date. Much better than shorts and black T-shirt. After I was done raiding through the wardrobe, I made a sandwich with butter and peanut butter for breakfast, and then went into the garage, almost forgetting to lock the front door.

Instead of taking the Harley, I took the Rabbit.

Okay, let's go over the plans one more time. I have to make it perfect.

**Renesmee**

"Are you gonna be done soon, Aunt Rosalie?" I complained. She'd been doing my hair since Aunt Alice finished dressing me up. The clothes were all piled up on my bed. After multiple try-ons, she finally settled on a clear blue skirt with a white blouse and a matching aquamarine jacket. It took a long 30 minutes period before she made her choice. Endless seconds ticked by, and Aunt Rosalie still wasn't done. Aunt Alice went back into the closet to look for shoes and accessories. Mom went upstairs alone. She was no expert in the fashion department anyway.

"Be patient, Nessie," Aunt Rosalie adviced. "Your patience will be rewarded."

She finally finished after 30 seconds. Just then, Aunt Alice emerged from the closet with what looked like hundreds of earrings, hair clips and rings in her wrists. I noticed she didn't bring bracelets and necklaces. She examined my hair quickly.

"Nice touch, Rose," she complimented. Aunt Rosalie flashed a confident grin at her. "All right, time for make-up and accessory choosing. Be back in a sec," She laid the accessories on the bed post and danced back into the closet. She was way more excited about this than me.

"Nessie," Mom called as she emerged and came to our side without pausing. A large grin lifted on her face as she held out a particular bracelet in front of me. "Thought you might wanna wear this today."

Jacob's handmade bracelet. I hadn't worn it since my wrists grew out of its fitting size. Except it looked bigger than I remembered. The size seemed to have been expanded to a double and perfectly outstretched by new matching strings. It was large enough to fit my wrist.

"Jacob made it for you 7 years ago, remember?"

I nodded, and took it into my hand and wrapped it around my wrist. Aunt Alice re-emerged from the closet with one box of cosmetic supplies in each of her hands. "Your mom asked me to overlook that one trinket," she said a little ruefully.

I couldn't help but feel overly grateful to have them as my family.

Uncle Emmett knocked on the door. "You gonna be done soon? I wanna have a look at my little niece," he said.

The four of us burst into laughter.

"Almost done," Aunt Alice informed. "Just need some more time for make-up and putting on some accessories. Now, go before I have to throw you out."

"Hey, not that to my husband," Aunt Rosalie threatened very lightly. The smile on her face exposed that she wasn't upset.

After they finished playing with my hair, Aunt Alice took out a pair of simple earrings with sapphire gemstones, and a hair clip with matching colors and tangled up the front right side of my hair. Make-up took a little longer, almost a 15-minute period.

"Are you done soon?" Dad asked as soon as he entered. "I can already hear Jake's thoughts."

My heart started pumping faster and my face blushed. Mom went to his side and wrapped her hands around his waist.

"Almost done, just a little bit of lip gloss," Aunt Alice confirmed as she opened the lip gloss. "How much longer?"

"About 2 minutes."

"Great. Okay, Nessie, pucker up."

I did as instructed. She finished in 2 seconds. They eyed at me like they were looking at the most beautiful treasure ever discovered in history.

"That's because you _are_ a treasure to us," Dad confirmed.

I shot an annoyed glance at him.

_Hey, Dad. Not that again. I know your power flushes into everybody's minds, but I'd really appreciate it if you wouldn't answer my thoughts half the time._

He nodded delightfully. Aunt Alice and Aunt Rosalie laughed loudly. Mom grinned at Dad.

"Here," Aunt Alice went to grab the small mirror at my desk and flipped it in my direction, allowing me to see my new look.

It was hard to tell that the person in the mirror was really me. I looked more beautiful than usual in some alien way. The eyelashes were darker in color. The bronze curls threw back over the shoulders with the blue hairclip tangled on the front side of my hair. The sapphire gemstones on the ears complimented the blue and white outfit. I was totally unfamiliar with my own reflection.

Uncle Jasper knocked on the door and entered without waiting for an answer. Uncle Emmett and Tommy tagged along closely behind.

"How's the product coming?" Uncle Emmett asked as Dad and Mom moved aside to let them see me clearly.

They glanced at me in the exact same expressions that were on the others' faces a moment ago. All were frozen in admiration and adoration.

Our exchange was broken by the sound of tires hitting the porch. I leaped across to the door and ran upstairs to the front door and waited for Jake to make the first move. He took two deep breaths before knocking the door. I opened reflexively.

Jake glowed with a huge smile on his face. It was my favorite smile.

His outfit caught me by surprise. Red shirt, brown leather jacket and a pair of sweet-smelling blue jeans, with leather black boots. All looked compatible with his body. He looked so handsome that I lost my breath.

"Hey," he breathed, thought it sounded almost like choking.

"Hey," I said in a lower and calmer tone, trying to hide my own excitement.

He hesitantly leaned forward and kissed my cheek. His flaming lips sent a shock to my core. Unable to help myself, I grabbed his hand to show him my compliment on his outfit. He grinned even larger and his eyes glowed.

"Really?" he asked.

I nodded.

"Jacob," Mom called from behind.

Gosh, I totally forgot that we weren't alone. I blushed.

The others gathered in the main hall, except Tommy. Mom and Dad stood a few feet from the door with their arms around each other's shoulders; Aunt Rosalie and Uncle Emmett stood a few feet behind; and Aunt Alice and Uncle Jasper smiled on the bottom of the staircase. All of their faces glowed with happiness.

"What time do you plan on coming back?" Dad asked politely.

"Around 11," Jacob answered immediately. "I'll be sure to drive her back myself."

His grin widened. "Have fun."

Jacob nodded and held out his hand in front of me. "Shall we?"

"We shall," I answered enthusiastically as I accepted his hand. Aunt Alice, Aunt Rosalie and Uncle Emmett pealed with laughter.

"Have fun," Mom called from inside, knowing that we would hear her.

Jacob opened the passenger front door for me.

"Thank you," I said politely.

He went around to the driver's seat.

"So where are we going?" I asked curiously.

Jake hadn't told me anything, and Dad had promised not to spill.

He dug into his pickets and fished up a paperbag of tickets. Two movie tickets and two entrance tickets. "I was thinking we could start with a trip to the Adam's Theme Park in Portland." His smiled grew wide. It felt hard not to reflect it.

"Let's go, then," I said excitedly.

He put the bag back into his pockets and started the engine.

**Jacob**

We didn't say much in the car, but the silence was enough for us to enjoy ourselves. Sitting right next to her. I couldn't even describe how happy I was to have her by my side.

For 7 years, I'd been with this beautiful goddess. I watched her grow up. Her first words were "Momma, where is Grandpa?". Her first walk down a hallway at three weeks old; her first dance moves around Alice's flowers. Her face illuminated every time I walked into the house. Her thoughts about everything that she wanted to share with me. Her thrill with Tommy's "pictures" - I couldn't quite grasp how they could like each other so much.

Now, she'd grown into this beautiful young woman, and even though I'd never thought about it before, I was happy to have her as my girlfriend. My most beautiful goddess loved me as much as I loved her. Gosh, I felt so lucky right now that I could practically phase out of happiness rather than anger.

We arrived at the park in 2 hours. The place was already crowded with people.

"So what do we play first?" Nessie wondered excitedly.

I unfolded the brochure and checked for the closest ride. The Twirl-Twirl rollercoaster was closest to us. I pointed the location and asked. "How about the Twirl-Twirl rollercoaster?" Then I whispered a little lower. "It's not quite as fast as our speeds, but it's fast enough for humans to have fun on."

She nodded easily and took my hand. She'd never been to a theme park in her life, so she would go with whatever was available for playing.

"Let's go then," she said out loud and dragged me with her.

The sun shined down upon us as we walked. Her skin illuminated in the light. I was completely dazed by her beauty.

**Renesmee**

We were lucky. After a 15 minute waiting in line, we ran directly to the front seats. Jacob held my hand as the train began to move upward.

"Are you scared?" he asked.

My eyes pierced into his while tightening my grip on his hand to show him how fearless I was. He gave a cocky grin. The train slowed for one second at the top of the track. And then it fell.

I shrieked nervously. Everything moved toward me in a rush. The wind blew back my hair. It felt weird to see everything move toward me without moving my legs. The train turned, moving upward again. Everything spinned around me now; the ground moved above me. My heart pumped 10 times faster than usual as the train moved right side up again. It ran toward a round tunnel. I ducked my head a little bit as the distance closed in. It felt like I could hit my head on it, even though my senses told me that it wasn't going to happen. Once we were out of the tunnel, the train spun around in circles, making the world move around me several more times. I was taken in by the amazement.

I looked to Jacob as the train spun. His mouth was wide open as he shrieked in excitement, his eyes half-closed by the strong wind. The happiness on his face was evident. He was having as much fun as I was.

The train stopped spinning upside down, rather it began spinning sideways, making the world move around us from left to right and vice versa. I tilted my head to one side everytime it spun to the other. It was sort of an automatic thing, I couldn't help it. And I didn't mind, I was having too much fun.

The coaster slowed to a stop as it returned to the waiting section.

"Had a lot of fun, huh?" he asked as we left the train. His grin was large, evident.

I nodded.

"Yeah, I could tell. Your hand gripped so tight that it almost broke my hand."

I pulled my hand from his fingers and put it behind my back. "Oh, my God. I'm so sorry."

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, don't be," he reassured in a pleading voice and put his hands on my shoulders. "It's not serious. Look." His fingers gripped and released, and did it again 2 more times to prove his point. "See? It's healed. And it's nothing serious." He smiled reassuringly. "Besides, I loved hearing your thoughts about the experience."

Yikes! I forgot to close the connection during the ride.

He took my hand again and nudged it gently. I found myself smiling again. It was hard to resist his magic. The guilt disappeared to the back of my mind in an instant.

He lifted my left hand. "Hey," he said quietly. His thumb traced the edges of the bracelet around my wrist; he hadn't forgotten about this gift. He lifted his eyes to meet mine again. "You're wearing the bracelet again."

I nodded. "Mom expanded the size. She said I might wanna wear it today. I'm not sure though; I think I wanna wear alot longer than that."

His smile grew.

"Come on, let's go get our souvenirs," he said.

I nodded again.

"Oh my God, you look so ugly in it," I teased him after we bought the rollercoaster pictures with us. I hadn't noticed the hidden cameras during the ride.

"No, I'm not," he countered. "Look at yourself, you were like _"AAAAH!"_." He held up his hands and made a screaming imitation. I couldn't help but laugh.

Jacob looked forward and pointed. "Hey, look."

People surrounded a counter of basketball hoops in colors of orange and yellow.

"Wanna try it?" Jacob asked.

I nodded. "But I've never even played basketball before, so you have to teach me."

"No problem."

We paid a ball for each of us. Jake moved behind me and guided my hands to the ball. "Here. The ball is made for bouncing, so you have to guide it with your fingers and balance. All you need to do is lower your hips a little bit -" he lifted the ball with my hands over my head and balanced it with my palm as he instructed. My other hand support ball by its side. "- and move your arm forward and move your hand and fingers to bounce the ball into the hoop. Remember to close your fingers when you bounce it."

I did as instructed and calculated carefully. 65 degrees was perfect. I thrusted my arm forward and moved my hips. The ball flew right into the hoop without hitting the hinges.

Some of the people around us clapped in impression. Even Jacob.

"See? I knew you could do it, Nessie," he commented.

The attendant handed me an torso-sized yellow stuffed cat in a king's cloak and crown. We rode different rides and played several games for the next hour, winning every one round and new items (free coupons, larger stuffed animals, treats baskets, etc). Jacob played some too, but he mostly allowed me to show off.

We settled down around 13:30 for lunch at a food court with a karaoke bar and a dance floor.

The waitress came with a tray of Cokes, fries, strawberry muffins, one bag of chicken legs and two large plates of onion rings. "Here's your menu."

"Thank you," Jacob said politely, his eyes hardly left my face.

"No problem." Her eyes focused on him as she talked. It annoyed me a little bit that someone else noticed my Jacob, but I didn't allow it to bother me.

She set the plates on the table and went her way very quickly. And here came the moment we'd been waiting for.

"Okay! I win, you dance on the dance floor. I lose, I'll sing at the karaoke bar," I explained the rules to him as I lifted the onion rings close to my mouth.

"Deal," he responded confidently and leaned down on his portion of onion rings.

"One."

"Two."

"Three!"

We dug in as fast as we could. The taste of onion rings was horrible. Compatible though they were to my system, I felt repulsive. It wasn't enough to make me give in though.

_Dig, dig, dig!_

"Ai wi!" Jake yelled out with onion rings stuffed in his mouth. His plate empty.

I put down my last onion ring in defeat and exhaled. "All right."

I stood from my seat and began to move toward the karaoke bar at the end of a corner. I waited till the performers finished their song and then went on-stage. I clicked through several categories to find a song that I liked.

"My Love" by Westlife, "Golden Sunshine" by Lydia Harris, "I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman" by Britney Spears...

I clicked "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion.

Jake looked at me expectantly. I took a deep breath. This was the first time I ever tried to sing, so I felt a little nervous.

The music began. I breathed deeply.

_"Every night in my dreams."_

_"I see you, I feel you."_

_"That is how I know you go on."_

_"Far across the distance"_

_"And spaces between us"_

_"You have come to show you'll go on."_

More people turned in my direction as they listened to my voice, even some of the attendants.

_"Near, far, wherever you are."_

_"I believe that's the heart does go on."_

_"Once more you open the door."_

_"And you're here in my heart."_

_"And my heart will go on and on."_

Everyone in the food court and on the dance floor looked at me now, as if they were hearing the most beautiful singer. Dazed by the sound of my voice. Jacob's smile was gentle.

_"Love can touch us one time"_

_"And last for a lifetime."_

_"And never let go till we're gone."_

_"Love was when I loved you."_

_"One true time I hold to."_

_"In my life we'll always go on."_

_"Near, far, wherever you are"_

_"I believe that the heart does go on."_

_"Once more you open the door."_

_"And you're here in my heart."_

_"And my heart will go on and on."_

I used the space of the song to point at Jacob, signaling him to join me onstage. He grinned genuinely and walked five strides to reach me. I held out my hand just as he took it and I pulled him onto the stage. He wrapped his arms around my waist while the song continued.

_"You're here, there's nothing I fear,"_

_"And I know that my heart will go on."_

_"We'll stay forever this way."_

_"You are safe in my heart"_

_"And my heart will go on and on."_

Everyone in the food court clapped and cheered, some even whistled. I put down the mic and bowed to the audience. Jacob bowed with me.

Admiring glances shot at me while we sat back on the table. A few kids and teenagers even approached to ask for an autograph. I couldn't help but feel a little awkward in a very good way.

"You were amazing, Nessie," Jacob complimented. "I swear, you should try out for American Idol sometime."

"No, thanks, I'm happy as it is," I disagreed and then asked. "Was I really that good?"

He snorted. "You were breathtakingly talented."

"Get out of here."

We laughed in synchronization. A sudden sound of explosion interrupted our moment. I turned to where the sound came from, and spotted a little boy around age 4-5 crying with his hands covering his face about 2 tables away. Another boy, around age 6-7, stood beside him and stared at him sadly. The floor they stood on was filled with pieces of red delicate plastic and long string. Their mother brushed a comforting hand on his back.

"My balloon," the boy cried. Tears ran down his covered face.

I couldn't help but feel a little sad for the boy, so I stood up from my seat and approached them. Jacob followed closely behind.

"Hey, hey, hey, what happened?" I asked comfortably.

He pointed to the other boy. "He blew up my balloon...!"

The other boy had tears welled up in his eyes now. I thought through whatever option I could think of to cheer them up, and came up with a one after a second. "Hey, now. It's okay. Hey, what would you say if I get you another balloon that looks exactly the same as yours, and give both of you some chocolate chunk cookies? Will you cheer up then?"

They both began to calm down a little.

"No, no, that's not really necessary," the mother said.

"It's okay," I insisted. "Um, where did you get the balloon?"

The little boy pointed out the window. "Right there, where the red ducky had them."

I looked out the window and saw the red duck mascot holding a handful of balloons hidden behind people. "I'll be right back," I said and turned to Jacob, who was comforting the other boy. "Jake, why don't you prepare the cookies we won from some of the games."

He nodded and grinned. "Will do."

I grinned at him for a moment, and then left for the mascot. It didn't take long before I got the balloon that I was looking for. By the time I came back to the food court, they had already seated at a table. The boys were eating with one cookie in each of their hands. Their mother sat beside them. Jacob stood beside them and waited for my return.

"Here you go," I handed the boy the balloon.

"Thank you," he said happily with his mouth full of chocolate cookies.

"Yes, thank you so much, miss," the mother said sincerely. "That is very kind of you."

"You're welcome."

Jake grinned at me impressively.

We enjoyed some more rides and games for 2 hours until it was time to leave.

We spotted an ice-cream trailer on our way to the exit.

"Jake, I want strawberry ice-cream," I said, trying to sound less demanding.

He twisted his body a little to see around the dolls and treat baskets in his arms. "All right, your wish is my command," he agreed.

"Are you sure you don't want me to at least hold the stuffed animals for you?"

"Nope, I'm good."

"Okay."

"Two strawberry ice-cream in cones, please," he told the clerk as he put down some of the baskets to take out his wallet.

"Actually, just one, please," I interjected.

He gave me a confused look. I touched his chin to show him the two of us sharing the same ice-cream. He blushed at the acknowledgement. I took the cone and took the first bite, and then held it in front of Jacob's face, waiting. He opened his mouth and swallowed the piece.

"Wow, it's very good," he murmured.

I smirked.

**Jacob**

We left the baskets and dolls in the car as we went into CineMagic to watch "Gray Clouds Clear Pink". A romantic comedy with little magic. It didn't feel as real as Tommy's illusion, but it was good enough to enjoy. A few times I laughed with Renesmee. My hand lied on the side with my palm pointed upward. She took it without hesitation. I told her that I hadn't been to a movie threater since the night I first phased, after I saw a movie with Bella when she was human and a boy named Mike Newton. Gosh, I remembered how much I hated him. One big marschmallow who couldn't even stand the sight of fake blood. The thought of his sick face made me want to laugh.

After the movie, we went to Barley's for dinner. Nessie ordered entrecote fully steaked, and I ordered to double my steaks menu; double meat, double sized salad and a double pile of rice. I couldn't believe how hungry I was.

"Don't move, you got something on your chin," Nessie informed and held up a napkin. "Here, let me help you."

I held still while she wiped the sauce off his chin.

"Thanks, Nessie," I said appreciatively.

"No problem." she smiled.

After we left the restaurant, there were still roughly 30 minutes before 9 o'clock. She suggested to go for a walk, and I complied. I was in no hurry to head home, either. Not while there was still time. Our hands never left each other as we walked down the pleasant street. We didn't talk the whole way, just enjoyed the silent moment. It was so easy to be happy around Nessie. Seeing her smile was the one thing that made my life easy.

I remembered how much I used to hate the idea of imprinting. It all felt like a loss of willpower, just like none of the other boys had a choice in becoming werewolves. Sam was the most miserable of us all. He had to face the pain of breaking Leah's heart. My heartbreak over Bella and hatred for Edward clouded my better judgment, but the idea of imprinting was annoying even before that.

It all felt ironic now. Because that was how I met Nessie. Finding her was the best thing that had ever happened to me.

I was like a lost wolf who couldn't find his path after going astray, but she guided me to a new home. She brought me back from the cold that was quenching through my hot skin and freed me from misery.

When I met Bella, she was what I wanted. But when I met Nessie, she was what I _needed_.

I felt undeniably grateful to fate that it brought such an amazing angel into my life.

We drove swiftly home after the long walk. Nessie had turned on the radio and started singing whatever it played. I listened intently, barely paying attention to the road. Her voice sounded like wind chimes. When she didn't want to sing alone, I sang with her. When the radio played songs that I did not recognize, she sang for me.

When we reached the house, I rushed out of the driver's seat and leaped to the other side to open the passenger door for her.

"Thank you, Mr. Chivalry," she joked.

"Hehe! Why, you're welcome, Ms. Damsel-In-Distress," I teased back.

She laughed a pealing laugh.

I took out the souvenirs, baskets and dolls, and walked her to the front door. She sighed quietly, and then turned around to face me.

"Is everything all right?" I asked.

She nodded with a frown on her dimples. "It just feels like the date has barely begun, and it's ending so fast. Too fast."

I frowned with her now. She was right. It felt like the day was ending too soon. I tried to focus on the positive.

"Hey, don't worry," I comforted her. "We'll have plenty more dates ahead. And we'll go to beaches, school dances, proms, parties and activities together."

Her face lifted to a grin now. "Yeah, you're right. And the important thing is we're both having fun."

I laughed. It was so easy to satisfy her now that I knew what she wanted from me. "I'll always have fun with you around," I said sincerely.

We stood still for a moment, our eyes bore into each other's. Until Bella opened the door and interrupted our exchange.

"Hey, Mom," Nessie greeted with a surprised edge.

"Hey," she greeted back with a grin on her face. "Did you have a great time today?"

Nessie glanced over to the baskets, souvenirs and dolls in my arms.

"I see," Bella acknowledged. She was thoughtful for a moment, and then she said. "Why don't you two stay our here for 10 more minutes while I put these away for you?" She walked past Nessie and snatched everything from my arms without waiting for an answer. I grinned at her. She was giving us extra time together. And Nessie knew that, too.

"Sure, thanks," she saud appreciatively.

Bella smirked at her daughter and then darted back into the house and closed the door behind her.

We sat down on the doorsteps and looked up at the night sky. Nessie rested her head against my shoulder. Her fingers brushed the back of my hand.

"Hey, look, a blinking star," she pointed up.

In the night sky horizon, under the clouds of million stars, there was one that glowed brighter than most of them.

But I had the most beautiful star beside me.

"You're my blinking star, Nessie," I murmured. Her eyes met mine and shined with her gracious smile.

Slowly, she leaned toward me, and I did the same. Our lips met and melted into one.


	19. Our Night

**CHAPTER 19 - OUR NIGHT**

_**Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful.**_

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><p><strong>Edward<strong>

I listened from inside the door as Bella spoke with Jacob after sending Nessie to bed. Though they were both equally reluctant to leave one another. Thomas had to promise a very entertaining show to persuade her to sleep at all. She loved his "bedtime stories".

"Jake, mind for a stroll with your old friend and her husband for a few minutes?" Bella suggested.

"Yeah, sure," he agreed. _Wonder what she's up to._

I opened the door to join them on the porch. My smile shined at Jacob. He gleamed back.

We walked into the dark woods without saying anything. Jake's thoughts were reeling back to their date the whole time; the moment they rode a rollercoaster together, his captivity of hearing Nessie sing "My Heart Will Go on" - his thoughts were completely mesmerized by the sound of her voice, as was I, the kindness they gave to the two little boys; his captivity by her beauty and grace. He wasn't afraid to show me how much he loved my daughter. I was flattered to have Jacob as Renesmee's special one; he hadn't wished for anything else but her happiness ever since he imprinted on her. The Jacob that used to hate me was long gone now; it felt nice to see the new Jacob, a man who thought purely of my daughter's happiness. A purely simple-minded person in more than one way. She was lucky to have him. Even if they hadn't become lovers, I was sure she would have wanted Jake to stay a part of her life. The two of them were inseparable.

Bella noticed my gentle smile and flashed hers in my direction. It was as though she could read _my_ mind. She knew that I was reading Jake's mind, and that what I heard were pleasant.

"Somethin' you wanna talk to me about?" he asked. His thoughts were lingering happiness and curious.

Bella waited a moment before she began. "We, Edward and I, wanna thank you."

"Thank me? For what?"

"For always being there for Nessie," I interjected.

_Of course I did,_ he thought and then said out loud. "I will always be there for her. You know as much as I do, Edward. And you know that, too, Bella."

We nodded in unison.

"And we will _always_ think of you as part of the family," she added. My thoughts were the same.

He shot a genuine grin. "Guess I better get home and sleep."

"Jacob!" I called before he could turn away. "We're all going hunting tomorrow. Would you care to join us?"

"Sure."

"Good night, Jake," Bella said. She approached to hug him.

"Good night," he whispered lightly.

They let go, and she was at my side again.

"See you tomorrow at 9 o'clock," I instructed subtly, knowing that he would be on time.

He nodded and lightly punched my shoulder, and then walked further into the woods. The darkness wasn't enough to cloud his sensitive eyes. I could see the trees perfectly through his mind.

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><p>I heard Nessie's thoughts when we entered the house. I listened intently as we went into our room: she was already asleep and dreaming about everything: me, Bella, the rest of our family, and most importantly Jacob. All mixed in colors and spacey images, with Jake's image in the center. Me and Bella were on a different level than Jake's, but the emotions behind that were equal.<p>

"Why are you smiling?" Bella asked. "What're you hearing?"

"It's Nessie's thoughts," I told her. "She's having some really happy dreams. Mostly about Jacob, but also about you and me."

She laughed. "Well, she's a happy girl. And she's satisfied as long as we're around."

I nodded slightly. "True."

Her arms wrapped around my shoulders, sending vibes to my core where they touched. "Would you like to know _my_ thoughts?" she asked with a teasing tone.

Listening to her thoughts was always what I wanted. My favorite part of every night. And I knew that I will always want that. The silence of her thoughts were too compelling to ignore.

I nodded eagerly.

She placed her fingers around my cheeks, closed her eyes and concentrated. Her furrows dimpled a little bit. I listened intently to her thoughts. They were all about me, my beautiful face, her affection of my behavior, her endless desire for me...

I pressed my lips against her. Her mind was instantly quiet again. "Hey, you were supposed to restrain yourself," she complained as I kissed her jaw and her neck, but did nothing to push me away.

"Sorry, loveliest Mrs. Cullen, Mr. Cullen's feeling bad," I growled teasingly.

She laughed. Before I knew it, she lifted my body high up in the air and threw me all the way to the bed across the room, cracking the bedpost a _little_ bit, and then jumped on top of me. We both laughed loudly.

"Well, sorry, most handsome Mr. Cullen, but I'm afraid Mrs. Cullen is too _un_-tame right now to let you get the upperhand."

Everyone heard my laughter in the house, except Nessie who was still dreaming. Emmett was thinking about breaking our ceiling while going at it with Rosalie, but Alice foresaw and promised to stop him, though she was more eager to get it over with to be with Jasper for the rest of the evening. Thomas was the only one who didn't want to listen to our intimate moment and fled into the woods.

Bella ignored the echoing laughs from the rest of the house, and tore my clothes apart and pressed her body against mine. And I shut out all the noises from my head.


	20. Costumes and Friends

**CHAPTER 20 - COSTUMES AND FRIENDS**

_**Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful.**_

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><p><strong>Renesmee<strong>

Everything had been amazing since my first date with Jacob. Dad was considering talking the principal into rearranging Jake and my schedules to make our classes collide more.

Aunt Rosalie... well, at least she wasn't as hostile against Jacob as she used to be.

Aunt Alice planned a private marriage anniversary celebration for the family. Not that anyone kept the count, but it was still something worth celebrating for. Or so she said. And with Uncle Jasper and Uncle Emmett on her side, she won the argument very easily, even though Mom complained.

Seth, Ricky, Michael, Quentin, Quil and Embry were planning a trip to Cloverdale to visit Jacob after he invited them to a Halloween party, which was being held at the school. Leah disliked the idea of being around our family, but she agreed to see Jacob and her brother, Seth.

Martie had also begun to hang out with us again. Although it took effort from my side, and his willingness to get past his own issues.

"Okay, I've had it," I complained when I got him alone in the hallway. "You've been ignoring me for weeks, Martie, and I need to know why."

His face composed as he selected his words. After a minute, he began. "I'm sorry. It's just that... I-I've been hearing rumors about you and Jacob."

My eyes rolled. "I've already heard those rumors. And why does that bother you, anyway? They're about me, not you. And how can that make you change your mind about hanging out with me?"

"Alright, you want me to be straight with you?" His lips pursed and then admitted. "I like you, Nessie."

That caught me off guard. My mouth froze.

He continued. "Yeah, I've been noticing your closeness to Jacob since the first day I met you. But I didn't want that to stop me from becoming friends with you. And when we became friends..." his lips pursed again. "I couldn't believe how happy that made me. Your kindness, your intelligence and your beauty made me want to know you more, made me want you more. But when you and Jacob left town, which I do believe was not because you were escaping to some exotic island like the others said but that you were actually attending Jacob's father's funeral, I still had these suspicions that there was something going on." He looked away, and continued. "And then, you showed on that Monday and kissed him in the hall. I didn't know what to think, and from then on, I couldn't talk to you without asking questions that sound like _"Did you really attend a funeral?"_ or _"Did you two hook up?"_." He stopped abruptly and covered his face.

I looked into nothingness and grimaced. It was hard to believe that my relationship with Jake would be so troublesome for someone else. I didn't know how to make him feel better. It wasn't his fault that I love Jake. "I'm sorry, Martie," I apologized.

"No, don't be sorry," he said in a composed voice as his hands lowered slowly from his face. "It's not your fault, I was just letting myself hope too much. To be honest, Nessie, I really like you, and I care about our friendship too much to lose it. I've been thinking about stopping this behavior of mine so that we can be friends again."

I turned to him. "You have?"

He nodded.

"Truth is, I don't like the way we are any more than you do. And if I don't do stop it soon, then we won't even be able to be friends, and I don't want that to happen."

I nodded lightly and admitted. "Me, too."

He breathed, looked away for a minute. When he looked back to me, it was with a different, more cheerful expression. "So..." he began. "How about we start things out again at lunch?"

I nodded. "How about I sit with you and your friends at their table?" I suggested.

He shook his head. "Nah, I brushed them off. I was thinking somewhere outside the yard with you and Jacob."

I grinned, suddenly feeling lighter on the shoulders. "I'd like that." And of course, Jake would be okay with whatever I wanted. And I really didn't want to be anywhere near his gossip-girly friends.

From then on, we resumed our friendship, though something seemed a little bit odd now and then. It was like some part of the atmosphere had been changed and taken permanent form. I was certain that my fondness of Martie was nothing compared to my love for Jacob, and I will always feel the same, but knowing that Martie liked me to a level higher than friendship made it seem like I was standing on a rope, and, despite my superior vampire balancing, I was on the edge of falling off. Everyone adviced that I leave things as they were until the time for change came for me, there was really nothing else I could do.

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><p>Jacob and I waited for the pack at the exit gate. The plane had already arrived. Quil exited first, followed by Embry, Ricky, Quentin, Seth and Michael. Jake greeted with heartfelt hugs, like he hadn't seen them in ages, even though they last saw each other one month ago.<p>

"Good to see you, Jake!" Embry called as he lifted his hand. Jacob lifted his own, and they clasped in a high-five move. The others had him wrapped up with arms and hugs in an instant.

Seth wrapped an arm around Jacob's shoulders, and then came to my side. "Good to see you again, Nessie," he greeted.

"Yeah, same here," I replied as we embraced.

Right after we let go, Embry and Quil came to greet me as well. I was instantly wrapped by happiness, it was hard to believe how much I'd missed the pack. They all looked so grown-up, yet some of them were still roughly Martie's age.

Leah arrived one day later, and mostly stayed at Jacob's house. Since she was a houseguest, Jacob and Seth had to keep her company, so I had to hang out at his house whenever Jake and I wanted to be together. She didn't mind my presence much, but she was still uncomfortable.

"She likes you, Nessie, she just doesn't like to show it," Jacob told me when he was walking me home. "She's actually happy that I'm happy with you, it's just that the idea of being near vampires makes her a little grumpy."

I snorted. "She's not exactly spending time with my family."

"True. Although as long as she's here, I shouldn't leave her by herself. I'm thinking about inviting her to the Halloween party at the school. The guys are already going anyway, so..."

I stared at him. "You're going to the party?"

His furrows lifted to make a playful face, and then he spoke. "And I was already in mind of asking one more person to go with me."

His lips spread across his face. But before he could say any further, I spoke.

"I'd love to go to the party with you, Jacob."

His smile grew, showing his teeth. It was my favorite smile. "Good, good. 'Cause it would be a bummer if I have to go dateless."

I mock-punched his chest. "Like that's gonna happen."

He laughed.

It was easy to persuade me, but in Leah's case, it took more persuasion to make her agree to attend the Halloween party. Jake suggested that her options were either to enjoy a Halloween party where no vampire would be present, except me and my half side, or spend time at the Cullen house which Aunt Alice was already planning a private party for some friends from Grandma and Grandpa's jobs. At least the party would be better than being around vampires.

Aunt Alice dragged me shopping again on Friday. The local costume shop had more outfits than it looked if someone were stopping by for window shopping.

"Do I have to wear the red robe?" I asked.

I looked to the large mirror again, and viewed my reflection with the robe that covered my white witchy costume. It looked so ridiculous.

"No, I just wanna see how it suits you. It's one of the disadvantages of not being able to see anything about you," she answered. "Now, come out and let me see."

I removed the curtains and spread out my arms to let her see clearly. If she thought I looked good, I would protest.

She observed with her head tilted to one side, and then said. "Nah, it makes you look like a peasant out for attraction to predators. It looks awful."

I sighed in relief. "I totally agree with you."

She turned to the hangars and stocks again. I used the time to look back to the mirror.

What do I want to wear?

Then it hit me, something that I liked but never fantasized of me wearing it for a Halloween costume.

Aunt Alice came back with a black robe in her arms. "Here, try this. This should make you a fabulous black witch."

"Um..." I hesitated.

"Nessie, come on. You're here with a knowledgable fashion designer. Nothing to worry about. And besides, that red robe was something I just needed to test. Go, try it on."

"No, it's not that," I explained. "Do you think we could try something non-witchy or vampiric?"

Her brows creased, but her lips crossed into a smile. "What do you have in mind?"

I touched her face and showed a picture of Cupid and Psyche.

"Wanna go for a look in Roman mythology, huh?" she comprehensed excitedly, then her eyes turned blank for a short moment before they refocused. "I'll talk to the clerk." She walked away as she continued. "He's got something in the basement that looks good, but we need to try it on to make sure."

She came back with a long white Roman dress with golden patterns sewn on the edges and golden ropes tied around its waist.

I couldn't stop admiring myself in the mirror. The size fit my body perfectly, the shoulders hardly revealed anything, except the bare arms. My feet were hidden under the long dress, and the rope tied the costume tight to my waist. I was so beautiful in it.

It did not take long before Aunt Alice found a pair of matching golden strapped heels.

"Here, these match perfectly," she pointed.

In that moment, I was grateful to have her as my aunt. No one had better taste in outfit than her.

"You look absolutely adorable, Nessie," Aunt Alice giggled excitedly, as if she was looking forward to this more than I was.

After we paid for the costume, shoes and accessories, we finally left the shop.

"You'll feel grateful when I make you outflash that Julie," she said.

"What do you mean?" I wondered. "Why would I want to outflash her?"

"Oh, she's jealous that you're more beautiful than her, or rather of all of us. And the fact that we're with the hottest guys at school, though she does think it's crazy to date adopted siblings. So she's going to make herself look pretty for the party. To make us jealous for once." She snorted darkly. "Like that'll ever happen."

I hadn't thought about it. Julie was jealous of us? For _this_ reason? It sounded so stupid in my ears.

My thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Nessie?"

I looked up, though I already knew who it was. Martie approached us with a casual grin on his face. "Hey."

"Hey," I greeted politely the same time Aunt Alice did. "What're you doing here?"

"Looking for a Halloween costume," he answered. "You?"

"Same, my aunt... - I-I mean my _sister_ dragged me here for shopping."

"Hey, you're going to a costume party," she complained. "Better pick an outfit than going in regular clothes."

"Oh, did you find anything?" Martie asked.

I held up the plastic bag to show that we were already done with the costume shopping. He nodded in acknowledgment.

"Oh, uh, what's the costume?"

"Roman mythology. What about you?"

"Uh, I'll be the manga tiger mascot. I'm actually on my way to pick up my costume."

I nodded.

"Okay, we gotta go," Aunt Alice pointed. "Got lots more stuff to shop. See you later, Martie." She dragged me away without for an answer.

It felt rude to do that.

**Jacob**

"Are you guys done yet?" Leah complained in the living room. "Gonna be late for the party if you keep staring into the mirror."

Seth snorted.

"Leah, since when are you eager to go to this party?" Embry asked. "Last time we checked, you didn't even want to go."

"That's until Jake forced the options on me. Thanks for reminding. I just wanna get this night overwith."

Quil, Ricky and Quentin laughed while Seth, Embry and Michael chuckled. Couldn't say I blame her, she was done putting on her nurse within half-an hour while the rest of us took least one hour to get everything straight.

I ignored their conversation, though. I was too busy looking into my reflection in the mirror. The Cupid costume that Alice had sent me fit my size perfectly, but it still felt weird to wear cloth other than jeans and T-shirts. But Nessie was the one who suggested the Cupid and Psyche costumes, and as long as she was happy, I would be, too. Besides, I looked kinda cool and sexy. My costume was a white toga with golden patterns sewn into the edges that hung on my right shoulder and wrapped around my waist, exposing the left side of my chest, stomach and arm. My legs were exposed up to my knees. The golden leaf-crown, the thick golden necklace around my neck, the bracelet on my right wrist and the sandals complimented the synchronization of my costume. The only part that made me feel stupid was the added pair of big fake angelic wings attached to the back of my costume.

"Hey, Jake, you ready yet?" Embry asked.

"Yeah," I replied and breathed.

I turned around to face the guys with my Cupid-y look. Embry, Quil and Seth gave impressed looks. Quentin and Michael raised their furrows but said nothing. Ricky just formed a big "O" with his mouth.

"Nice way to show your smoking-hot body, man," Embry complimented.

"Thanks. You don't look so bad yourself, 'Mr. Potter'."

I was half-lying.

He raised his arms to show his Harry Potter-costume, but minus the glasses made him look like somebody else. Someone very idiotic.

"You would look so much more like Harry Potter if you'd just take on the glasses," Michael suggested.

His face cringed. "Ugh. I don't like those glasses."

"Dude, you look more like 'Neville that idiot' in that robe without the glasses," Seth added.

"I have to agree," Quil interjected.

"Gimme a break."

He playfully tried to hit them with his fake wand, causing them to jump a step back.

"All right, guys, break it up or we're gonna be late. I still have a date to pick up before we go to the party." And then I added. "Embry, you look fine with the glasses. Just try them or they'll continue to make fun of you."

He grunted in frustration and reluctantly put on the glasses. I knew he was complaining inward right now. If we were in wolf-forms, he would be yelling our heads out. One of the best things about being in human form - your pack can't hear your thoughts unless you think about them while you're wolf.

We were done then. Quil put on his Viking boots. Quentin found his set of bow and arrows among mine. Michael was done putting on his pirate eyepatch by the time seth put on his Scream-mask.

"I ain't getting any more patient down here!" Leah urged now.

"All right, we're coming!" Seth answered.

It was time, then. Everyone went downstairs to Leah, and went out the front door. Since I didn't have enough vehicles for eight people, I had to borrow Edward's Volvo for extra transportation. Leah didn't want any vehicles but I lent her my bike anyway.

The guys waited in the cars while I went inside the Cullen house.

"Hello, Jake," Edward greeted as he opened the door.

"Hey," I greeted back. "So, a private party for you guys, huh?"

He nodded and made way for me to enter, then looked over my shoulder and said. "Hey, Seth, how's the Volvo going for you?"

"Hey, Edward," Seth greeted from the car. "Yeah, it's great. I love it. You sure have nice taste."

I shook my head. I'll never get used to their mutual friendship.

As I headed into the main hall, Bella, Emmett and Tommy greeted me. Esme was cooking in the kitchen. The smell of rice, sweet potato, eggs and French meat filled the air. Jasper's distant footsteps in there told me that he was helping out, too.

"How did you know it's Jasper?"

Before I could answer him, Tommy interrupted. "It's a reflex thing, Eddie. You stay around someone long enough, you learn the sound of their footsteps and movements. Besides, he's the only one in the kitchen while Alice and Rosalie are surely upstairs with the product." He had been paying more attention than necessary.

Emmett grunted in frustration.

I ignored him and said. "Thanks, you got that right, man." And then, I turned around to face Edward. "You got one smart little brother."

Edward and Tommy snorted together. Bella grinned at the acknowledgment.

Esme tilted her head from the kitchen.

"Would you like something to eat, Jacob?" she asked.

"That's very kind of you, Esme..." I stopped abruptly, feeling rude to turn down her offer now matter how politely I was. "I would like to take you on that offer."

She disappeared and put away whatever she was doing, and then came out in two seconds with a plastic bag that smelled newly baked eggs and sweet potato. Edward took the bag out of her hands.

"I'll give it to the guys," he offered. "I think Seth's pretty hungry. Jake will have his share."

"Yeah, he hasn't eaten all day," I added.

He darted out the door in a flash. But my attention was no longer to him.

"Thanks for waiting, Jacob," Alice said. She appeared from the top of the stairs. Rosalie emerged right behind her, but her attention was somewhere else. "Nessie, come on. You look great. Stop worrying."

_Step. Step. Step._ My heart pounded like a jack-hammer.

And there she was.

I couldn't stop examining her appearance. In the beautiful goddess white toga that ran down to her feet, Nessie looked like a real goddess. Her hair was curled back in a ponytail and a golden headband pulled back the front hairlocks. Her golden locket and bracelet were replaced with a silver necklace and a matching chain. Her left arm was wrapped by a silver armlet.

She was just exquisite. I had to struggle very hard to keep my breathing in order.

Jasper and Edward chuckled at my mood and thoughts.

Nessie breathed and then moved down the stairs toward me. Her graceful movement made her radiance gleam even brighter.

Yes, she was a goddess. My goddess.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi," I repeated, though it was more like a breath.

She examined my costume, and then said. "Wow, you're handsome even for Cupid."

I shook the bow and arrow container with my shoulders. "Come with the wings." And then I added. "You're... indescribably beautiful for Psyche."

She beamed and twirled the end of her ponytail. The others laughed at our exchange.

I reluctantly turned my eyes to Bella.

"I'll have her back around midnight, Bella," I promised.

"Have fun," she just said with a glowing smile on her face.

I took Nessie's hand and guided her out to the porch, blinking at Edward once on our way out. Seth, Embry, Ricky and Quil dug into the bag. Leah, Michael and Quentin watched, but not joining.

"Got anything left for me?" I asked, not wanting to betray Esme's goodwill. Embry tossed me an egg. I caught it with my free hand and stuffed it into my mouth. In the meantime, the others greeted Nessie and complimented her astonishing outift.


	21. Breaking on Halloween

**CHAPTER 21 - BREAKING ON HALLOWEEN**

_**Re-uploaded. Please review if you like it. I am sorry it took so long.**_

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><p><strong>Renesmee<strong>

The school was crowded with screaming people by the time we reached the grounds. Lights of different colors flashed through the windows almost as quickly as vampire speed. Cheer and loud music echoed through the thick walls.

Seth left the car first and the others followed. Leah looked very uncomfortable with what she was seeing though she did not turn. Jacob and I walked slowest. He was in no hurry to get into the partying crowd. I, on the other hand, was helplessly nervous. My parents had always told me how places with such atmosphere smelled more appetizing to vampires, which was why I wasn't allowed to attend this kind of scenarios. In fact, they had just reminded me of this lesson earlier this evening. Sweats meant that people were dancing, and dancing made their blood pump more intently, and that made them smell more appetizing. I wasn't worried about it earlier, but the moment we parked the cars, the nerves caught up with me. I didn't want to ruin this night, but I don't know if I could maintain in control when the smelly building was only a few yards away from me. The smell of sweat was already beginning to touch me.

Jacob stopped abruptly and turned his head in my direction.

"Are you scared, Nessie?" he asked.

I shook my head, trying to hide my nerves.

His lips lit up to a weak grin. "Very nice imitation, your hand has already spoken for you." His eyes flickered down for a split second to prove his point.

I blushed. It was so embarrassing. I had managed to keep my nerves in check the whole way, and now I let it take me over.

He turned his body right to stand in front of me. His other hand landed softly on my shoulder.

"Don't worry. I'm gonna make sure you stay out of trouble. And we're gonna have a great time. You have nothing to worry about."

His words enchanted me, it was as though there was magic within them. I was instantly calmer.

"C'mon."

He dragged my hand gently, pulling me forward.

We walked past the doors in the shadowed hallway. I clutched Jacob's hand with more force, but restrained myself enough to make sure that my grip didn't hurt him, and inhaled slowly. The scent of blood flowed faintly in the sweaty air, many times more strongly than outside. I tried to focus on the scenery instead; the dark halls were decorated with fake spider webs, flashing lights that imitated a horrific scenery and rock music that echoed loudly in the walls, like it could easily break someone's ears. The only real lights that lit the place were a hallful of green light bulbs. The people seemed to adapt to the atmosphere very quickly. Everyone was dancing, sweating and screaming their lungs out with the music. The loudspeakers were playing "Bronze" by Micah Treats.

A set of lips suddenly touched mine. The warmth already told me who it was. My nerves were suddenly gone; I forgot about the details of our surrounding. His lips pulled away slowly.

"Feel better now?" he asked through the loud music.

I grinned and nodded. The smell was no longer touching me; I was in complete control.

Quil and Embry came back.

"Hey, you joinin' the party or making out?" Embry asked.

We laughed and went further down the screaming hall. Until we reached the gym. There music was louder than anywhere around here, more cheerful screams and movements echoed inside.

"Here's where most of the party takes place," Jacob said.

He turned his head to me and asked. "Are you ready?"

The other wolves waited for my answer.

I nodded. "Let's rock!"

They burst into laughter - even Leah showed a restrained grin.

"All right, let's do it!" Ricky exclaimed and placed his hands on the doorknobs. "The rest of us do _have_ someone to go home to." Then, he pushed open the doors. The moment he did it, the warm smell came rushing toward my face, through my nose. I didn't let it bother me though.

Jacob held his hand in front of me, waiting. I deliberately took a deep breath, and took his hand into mine. Then he pulled me forward, guiding me through the dancing crowd. Wherever their bodies touched mine left sweat and heat to my skin.

Seth, Quentin, Embry and Michael separated from us as they allowed the atmosphere to take over their bodies. Leah strayed to a corner while Ricky and Quil remained at the entrance.

We stopped below the disco ball in the center, and then Jake began to dance, his arms and hips shook in different directions without following the rhythm. He was careful not to drop his bow and container. I took five deliberate seconds to observe my surroundings to find someone to imitate. I followed a few girls' moves and shook my hips while lifting my arms up in the air. It felt weird to dance this way, but also funny at the same time. This wasn't like waltz or tango, it was just breakdancing randomly... like a little lunatic.

Jake slowly placed his hands around my hips, and I placed mine around his neck.

"You're a natural, Nessie," he commented.

I winked. "I know. Although I have to say... -" I touched my fingers to the back of his neck, and showed him how I felt while I talked. "- I feel kinda stupid dancing this way."

He laughed loudly, though the sound was covered by the loud music and cheers.

"Well, you ARE new to this, so it only makes sense that you'd feel funny about this," he mused. "And it does make sense that you would dance like a little lunatic."

I punched his chest lightly. "Shut up!"

We danced and shook until the music shifted to a new song. As much as I enjoyed this, some privacy and silence with my wolf-boy would be great, so I held both of Jake's hands and started pulling him through the crowd toward the entrance. A tail swung by and hit my face before I saw it coming.

I turned and saw the double-sized tiger mask turn in my direction. The lifelessly wide eyes looked somewhat cute like a teddy bear with an open grin and a tongue sticking out. I didn't need to remove the mask to know who it was in the costume.

"Hey, Martie," I greeted.

He waved his hands in response, probably because he knew the piercing music would be blocking his voice when it was hidden within a thick mask. Then he placed his hands on both sides of his mask and lifted it from his head. His hair and face was covered with sweat.

"Hey," he said as he placed the mask under his arm. "How's the party, guys?"

"Great, it's great," Jake answered and then asked in a teasing tone. "How's it going for you?"

"Fine. Great. - Hot!"

I laughed, and then dragged Jake away without another word to Martie. We continued to walk through the crowd and into the hall. I stopped abruptly when I spotted Julie right beside the door with Mark, the quarterback, leaned against the wall. She turned her head and gasped the moment she saw me.

I gazed at her appearance. Her hair was pulled up to a giant bunny ball with what looked like a silver crown around it. Despite the blinking flashes, I could see the pitch black mascara and make-up, with fair white powder marked on her skin, and crimson red on the lips with a drop of red that ran down from mouth to chin. Her costume was a black and tight skirt from the 60's and a set of matching gloves that covered up to her elbows. A shiny silver bracelet tied around her right wrist. When I gazed down, I noticed long socks that covered most of her legs and black heels. She looked like Elizabeth Taylor with a drop of fake blood on her mouth.

Mark was wearing a British musketeer costume, but had the wig and hat in his hand.

"Hey," she said in a breath. It was easier to hear voices now that we were outside the dancing arena.

"Hey," I replied.

She examined me with wide eyes, and then said. "Wow! Nice outfit, Nessie. Didn't know you could look so good in a costume like this."

It felt like a stab against my skin, but I ignored her meaning behind the words. "Yeah, same here. What're you dressed up as?"

"A vampire version of Elizabeth Taylor. And you, a Greek goddess?"

"Psyche, actually."

"Oh... never heard that name." Her smile fell down a level. "But it seems to suit you." Her attention shifted to Jacob. "And Jacob, nice matching outfit. And those funny wings. Lemme guess, Cupid?"

He nodded with a slightly hard face.

"Well, be seeing ya," I ended our conversation and began to pull Jacob away again.

I felt her eyes on my back as we left, and it gave me a feeling that she didn't like what she saw. Or perhaps it was my imagination that she was jealous of me.

We found an empty and non-decorated classroom exactly two turns down the hall. I led Jacob inside, letting him close the door behind us. When he did, the sounds of music and cheering echoed in the walls and in our superior ears, but it would do for some privacy. I slowly turned to him and stared into his eyes, suddenly dazed by his handsome face, which lit up to my favorite smile. He looked _so_ much more beautiful with it.

I leaned forward and up till my lips met his.

**Renesmee and Jacob**

Our kiss melted with our bodies. The flames on our skins burned brighter, contained well in our cores, but also drew us closer together like magnetic energy. We knew that this was what we both wanted.

To stay like this. Forever.

**Renesmee**

A sudden shriek broke our union.

We both looked at the window where it came from. It took a second for me to realize that it wasn't connected with the partying atmosphere in the building. It was a distant cry of pain and fear. I tried to interpret the mysterious scream, but the closest kind that I could relate to was when I was hunting animals. The sounds of shrieking animals when their skins were crushed by my sharp teeth. When I was drinking their blood.

Jacob was at the windows before I could fully understand what was going on. He turned to me with a hard, angry expression. Whatever he was seeing, it was probably very disturbing. I wasn't sure if I wanted to see him in this mood.

"What is it?" I asked.

"There're vampires here," he said in an anguished voice.

I used a half-second to understand what was on his mind. Unlike the way he treated my family, he wasn't as accepting to other vampires. And now there were some of them feeding on our school grounds. He wouldn't tolerate that. And neither would I.

"I have to stop them."

I took a step forward. "Let's go."

"No!" he shouted urgently, and then spoke again in a little calmer tone. "Nessie, I need you to get the others."

"What? Are you going to fight them alone while I go off to bring reinforcement?"

"Please?" he begged. It was as if he didn't want me to help, but I knew that he was right. The more wolves at present the better - we did not know how many vampires there were out there.

I nodded and reluctantly sprinted out of the room. On my way out, I could hear glass shattering behind me and hard footsteps thudding off-floor.

As I ran back to the gym, I had to constantly remind myself that there were people in the halls to watch my speed. It was a frustrating thing to do - there were people being hurt or killed, and most of all: Jacob was facing the murdering vampires on his own. I made it back to the gym, where I had expected Leah to be at the door - except she wasn't. Great! The crowd and lights made it hard to differentiate who was in the gym.

I tried to sniff - the scent of wolf was easy to catch despite the overwhelming smells of sweats and strong human blood. I followed it through the crowd, pushing away people who blocked my path. It went against the grain to be rude when they did nothing wrong, but I was in too much of a hurry to be gentle now. I spotted Seth by a table of treats, who was talking with a girl whom I recognized as Teri. I shoved my way to them.

"And did you know that my mother used to shove fish up my throat?" Seth told Teri, who seemed amused by whatever story he was telling her.

"Hey, Seth," I interrupted. "Something's wrong. Jake needs you outside."

"What?" he asked in confusion.

I touched his face and quickly showed him the moment we heard the painful cry - keeping the kissing part to myself - and what Jake asked me to do. His face turned anguished.

"Excuse me, Teri," he told her. "Something's come up. I gotta go." Then he turned to me. "Um, Quil and Quentin are in the men's room. Embry and Ricky are over by the DJ. -" He pointed to the corner. "- Leah went outside, so she might knows what's going on. I don't know about Michael."

I nodded, and then we walked away in different directions.

**Jacob**

I jumped out through the second-floor window, phasing mid-jump and landing on the ground with a loud thud. My costume was entirely in pieces - I'll have to face the rage of Alice after this.

A breeze sent the scent of blood to my nose, along with the scent of filthy bloodsuckers. It smelled somehow familiar, but I put the thought away and broke into a run. Hope that I won't be too late. There was no way to determine how many there were, and I was glad to have asked Nessie to go look for the rest of my pack. That brought reinforcement and kept her safe.

I followed the smell all the way to the parking lot. And there they were.

Three pale-white male vampires - two blonde-haired, one brown - across the lot. Two of them were feeding on a girl in a gothic vampire outfit, and the other one had tossed aside the now lifeless body in a bear costume. They spotted me the moment my aggressive growled reached them.

My chest was flaming with rage, and then I could see were my enemies standing in front of me. Killing what I was meant to protect. The growl grew louder and louder in my chest, my muscles locked in anger.

One of the bloodsuckers took a step forward, with a grin on his face.

"Look, we got ourselves a new meal," he said in a mocking tone. The others laughed with him as they dropped the half-dead girl to the ground.

I snarled once and then jumped across the lot with as much strength as I could provide. I landed 20 feet from their spot, then charged at them just as they began to sprint out of the way. One of them jumped over my head. I calculated quickly and pushed my way upward and caught the bloodsucker's leg with my fangs. Fighting as hard as I was able, my teeth flung the vampire to the ground and ripped off his lower leg. He screeched and writhed as I did.

Before I could bite off his arms, one of the other two came tackling toward me, sending me flying away and crushing on two vehicles.

Just then, Leah's mind entered mine.

_Jake!_ she screamed. _You're there already?_

_Yes. There are three of them, we're in the lot. Hurry!_

_I'm on my way._ Images of her surrounding told me that she was right around the corner. I felt instantly apologetic for her, because she had phased. But there wasn't time to apologize.

The bloodsucker snarled angrily as he charged in my direction again. I quickly got to my feet and leaped out of the way before he could catch me and landed on the other side. The other one was ready to attack when Leah came into view and caught them by surprise.

Seth's mind entered ours just as Leah sprinted into the battlefield.

_Jake! Leah?_ he thought surprised.

_Yes, I phased. Now, be careful!_

_Be careful, lil' bro. There's three of them._

_On my way already. Nessie's gone to find the others._

_Good._

One of the vampires charged at Leah while the one closest to me resumed his attention. I launched forward, fangs open, ready to bite off his limb. But he jumped over me right before I could touch him, and landed on my back.

_Jake!_ Leah screamed in her thoughts as she snarled. Seth's thoughts were worried.

_I'm okay. Just take care of the one in your eyes._

I felt my enemy's cold arms around my torso. I jumped and turned as I struggled to freedom. This was getting close to the time I got crushed by a newborn vampire.

Seth didn't pause when he came into the lot, running directly toward us - me specifically. _I'm coming!_

He jumped, opened his mouth and ripped the vampire off my back and landed two feet away from me. The vampire cracked the ground as he fell.

Ricky's mind entered. He had Nessie with him.

_No!_ I screamed loudly, snarling at the same time. _What were you thinking. Keep Nessie away from here!_

_I didn't ask her to come, she insisted to help,_ he answered. _Anyway, Embry's gone to find the others._

_That may not be necessary, because there are only three of them. And one's already lost a limb,_ Leah said as she faced off her vampire.

_Well, it's already too late._

I didn't want to hear it anymore. _Ricky, just keep Nessie off the parking lot! We'll be fine on our own!_

_Alright, geez!_ He stopped running and blocked Nessie's path.

_"What is it, Ricky?" _she asked in confusion. _"Is something wrong?"_

I tried to focus on our enemies instead. Seth's vampire had already gotten back up on his feet, and Leah was facing one on her own. As much as I wanted to help, there was one more vampire unattended, so I had to take him. He snarled angrily at me as I ran toward him.

_"What're you doing?"_ Nessie shouted as she listened. _"C'mon, we have to help. Quit stalling already!"_

_I'm gonna have to phase to tell her,_ Ricky suggested.

I didn't like that. _No, just keep her there._

I lost attention when something crashed into me. Something rock hard and big - a black Jeep, and knocked me flying several feet away. I struggled to my feet and tried to shake off the shockwave.

_I'm okay!_ I answered the worried moods.

Embry, Quil, Quentin and Michael were with us now.

_On our way, Jake,_ Embry informed.

They picked up my mood and ran past Ricky and Nessie without pause.

And then Michael recognized what we didn't. _Hey, that's the scents we caught in La Push. It's the same. Why are they here?_

_Let's just take care of them,_ I urged. There wasn't time to analyze.

I struggled to focus on the disabled vampire in my front. He balanced with one leg, his eyes bore into mine and his lips pulled back over his lips as he hissed. Then he leaped into the air. My eyes paid attention to his movements, his arms spread out as he prepared to crush me. I crouched and jumped upward with my mouth open. In that instant, I pinned him to the ground with my paws on both of his shoulders and sank my teeth around his neck. He screamed as I bit off his neck.

The other two snarled angrily, but Seth and Leah kept them occupied. Just then, Michael, Quentin, Quil and Embry made it into the lot. The one in front of Seth picked up a truck and thrusted it at my friend. He pressed his paws harder against the ground and pounded his head sideways to knock away the vehicle. It flew to the side with new impossibly large dents on the top.

But that wasn't a launch. The bloodsucker was.

He knocked Seth to the ground before he could resume his focus.

_Quil! Embry! _I called in my mind.

_Got it!_ They replied together and then ran toward them. And Leah left her enemy to get to them.

But it was too late. The vampire dropped his elbow on Seth's left ribs. His mind and mouth screamed in pain as his ribs broke.

I stopped myself from finishing off my kill right before Leah knocked the vampire away. She bit and ripped him apart like crazy as anger motivated her. Embry and Quil were about to shift their attention to the unattended vampire, and Michael and Quentin to mine.

But Ricky's eyes caught us off guard. Nessie had leaped high into the air and landed behind him. Before he could try to catch her, she made her run.

_Stop her!_ I demanded him with a panic edge.

I was about to rush to her side to stop before when my kill punched me to the side, breaking my jaw.

Michael and Quentin came to our side and finished off the headless vampire. Embry and Quil focused on the unattended bloodsucker, who growled angrily as he watched his friends die.

Nessie made it into the lot with Ricky closely behind her in time to see them rip apart the vampires. She didn't pause to take in what turn the fight had taken.

Ricky followed instead of trying to outrun her now. _All right, I'm not taking responsibility for being unable to stop her, 'kay? She's very persistent._

I growled angrily at him until they reached us. Nessie made her way to my side and supported my body with her arms.

I didn't have time to pay attention though. The remaining bloodsucker thrashed angrily at Embry and Quil. Then he looked to one side, and then leaped into the air to the left and landed next to the half-drained girl. We were too busy to pay attention before, but now I could hear her accelerated heartbeat.

He eyed at me in furious anger. Nessie jumped in between him and me and shielded me with her arms. When the vampire hissed at her, she hissed back. I barked angrily in response to his act.

It went against the grain to watch Nessie confront such strong vampire. She was not as strong as the rest of her family, or us, and certainly not as strong as the angry vampire. The others readied to protect her for me.

"Oh, my God!"

We all turned in the direction of the distant voice. And there he was. A human boy. Not just any human.

Martie.


	22. Friendship Takes Toughness

**CHAPTER 22 - FRIENDSHIP TAKES TOUGHNESS**

_**Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful.**_

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><p><strong>Jacob<strong>

His wide eyes froze at us in shock and fear. I knew what he was seeing. Eight gigantic wolves surrounding Nessie and a pale white man, with dead bodies lying about the ground. No doubt he thought we were the killers. That's what human usually perceived when they saw something aggressive animals and corpses.

A sudden sound of whoosh broke our concentration. When we turned around, the vampire had vanished into the darkness. The dead girl was nowhere to be found, either. ARGH! Great!

_We'll go after him,_ Embry offered and then urged to Leah. _C'mon, Leah!_

Without another word, they darted past the dark streets into the woods.

The rest of us froze in place. Martie was still staring at us in shock. This situation was going in a very bad direction. No one thought or spoke for long seconds, except for Leah and Embry, who were totally focused on the hunt.

Seth's thoughts were the first to work properly again. It seemed like his bones had already begun to heal.

_Okay, I don't know how to handle this,_ he began. _But we should probably get outta here before we attract any more attention._ His eyes flickered to Martie.

"Martie," Nessie said in a nervous voice.

He took a deep breath, and then spoke in a broken voice. "What... is... going on?" It sounded like he was trying to keep himself from going crazy.

She maintained calm and reasonable. "I-I know this is a lot, but please, if you will just calm down, then I will explain everything."

She took a step forward.

He backed away. "Stay away from me."

Nessie stopped, then looked to me thoughtfully. After a moment, she placed her hand on my furry face. Her thoughts were the same as Seth's, like they were reading each other's minds, except she wasn't with us in her pictures. The others saw her pictures through my head.

_I agree with her, guys,_ Quentin thought while trying tried to ignore Martie. _We gotta get outta here. The longer we stay here, the worse our exposure becomes._ Like it wouldn't be serious enough once Martie spilled the beans to the news frontpage.

_Take the body parts, we're burning them in the woods,_ Michael suggested.

He picked up the torn-up torso with his mouth, and then the others began did the same, except me. I was still standing protectively beside Nessie. I didn't want to leave her unprotected.

_Jake, you can protect her by hiding out in the woods,_ Quil urged. _We can't risk getting seen by any more people._

They started running toward the dark woods. But I stayed behind, torn up by two-sided reasons; one told me that to do what was right and go with the others: on the other hand, a more dominant force compelled me to stay behind and protect Nessie.

_C'mon, Jake!_ Ricky screamed in my head in frustration. _Nessie's a grown-up, she can take care of herself. She's strong, she's smart, and she's fast! Besides, she needs to stay behind to calm down that guy. But if we don't go right now, we'll be in huge trouble. _She_ will be in huge trouble._

As much as I wanted to argue his thoughts, I knew he was right. I looked deliberately to Nessie. She anxiously placed a hand on my wet nose, urging me to follow them. I had the edgy feeling that she wanted to make the situation as lightly as possible for Martie. He'd seen everything that was not meant for him to see, and it was dangerous if he told anyone.

Unwillingly, I darted across the lot toward the forest until the shadows of the trees were thick enough to hide my appearance. By the time I was there, the others had already started a fire and the vampire limbs were being burned. But Leah and Embry had lost the vampire and the girl at Southberry Lake.

I listened intently on their conversation.

"Martie," she muttered as she approached.

There was an edgy breath.

"Stay away from me," Martie said with a broken voice.

"Please, let me explain. It's not what it looks like."

"Then what IS?" he snapped. "'Cuz as far as I can see, there are giant wolves roaming around town that just totalled the parking lot. And just a minute ago, there was a man who ran faster than a speeding bullet and you were snarling at him like he was about to kill one of your pets!"

I growled quietly at the last word.

"Martie, please..." she pleaded with her innocent voice. I saw her expression. Confusion, helpless. She'd never dealt with a human who freaked out at what she'd seen. To her, it was all very natural. The supernatural was born with her. I'd never thought that she would have to face the fear of it. The burdens of being among the non-knowing.

"I'm begging you," she pleaded with a broken voice. Her eyes were beginning to fill tears.

A growl escaped my throat as the rage boiled in me. Martie, the idiot. He'd made her cry, because he refused to listen to what she had to say. The girl who was most important to me was crying. How dare he do that to her?

I wanted to rip his throat out to make him die with suffer.

_Oh, don't even think about it, Jake. That's not a good idea,_ Seth reasoned as he watched the vampire limbs burn to ashes. _He's her only human friend, and she cares about him. That's why she's talking to him instead of running. She doesn't want to lose that friend. If you kill him, she's gonna be more hurt._

I wanted to argue through the rage, but that he was right. She cared about her human friend as much as she cared about everyone else. Hurting him would only result in hurting her.

In that moment, I just felt completely helpless. If I would go out to her now, it would only cause more tension. There was nothing I could do to ease her burden.

She went on. "I will explain everything, but you can't tell anyone about what you saw."

"How can you even ask me to that?" he shouted.

"Because it's dangerous! You're not supposed to know about this. And for so many reasons, it's dangerous for not just you, but also me and the people that you know. Martie, please. I promise I will explain everything, but until I do, you can't tell anyone."

He looked into her eyes for a long, lost moment. It was like he was looking for some sign of bluff in what she said. From his expression, he found none and turned thoughtful for a long moment.

"Okay," he finally agreed, speaking through his breath. "I won't tell anyone."

Nessie nodded, her face still in distress.

Their heads turned to the school building abruptly, like a sound came to their ears and got their attention. After a second, it reached me as well. The sound of footsteps. The sound of people walking out of the building. The sound of laughter that was about to shatter the moment they walked into the parking lot.

Nessie and Martie looked into each other's eyes again.

"Guess we better get out of here," he suddenly suggested. And then, they dispatched in different directions, neither of them headed toward the building.

**Renesmee**

This was one thing I had not anticipated. A human knowing close about our family's abnormality and feeling uncomfortable by it. And he was my friend taboo. Because there never was a necessity to let others know how abnormal we were. Or even if they did, they already came to accept it, like my grandfather Charlie.

So this was all very new to me. New, and scary.

My friend had just learned that something wasn't right with me, and the fact that he found me in a destroyed parking lot, accompanied by eight giant wolves, and a dead body and a super-speeding vampire didn't do any good, either. But the good thing was that he had also seen the vampire carry away a victim, and that he wasn't my acquaintance.

When we got home, Dad was pissed. The others felt the same after he told them everything.

"Unbelievable!" Uncle Emmett shouted. " It just had to happen!"

Uncle Jasper paced around the living room with his arms crossed. Mom and Dad just sat on a small couch, listening intently. Mom's face was scrunched. Grandma, Grandpa, Tommy, Aunt Alice and Aunt Rosalie sat scattered around the room. Jacob sat beside me on the bigger couch, his hand gently nudged mine.

"What're we going to do?" Aunt Rosalie asked in a harsh voice. "We can't just let him tell."

"I agree," Uncle Jasper interjected. "He's seen too much."

"We don't have to sentence Martie to death, Jasper," Dad respinded harshly. Then his eyes flickered to me, and then to Mom. "Not right now."

"Indeed, we'll wait," Grandpa agreed.

"We can't just sit around and wait for him to spill the beans," Aunt Rosalie said, though it sounded too sharp to sound like reason.

"Actually, we can," Aunt Alice adviced. Her eyes went blank for a moment and then refocused.

"What do you see, Alice?" Tommy asked.

Her eyes creased together and made a small dimple across her brows. "I'm not sure, it's all fuzzy. He hasn't made any decisions yet, but it seems like he is going to by tomorrow. If he can find out what really happened tonight."

"What did he do after the wolves took off?" Tommy asked in a hard voice.

"He knew they understood me," I answered straightforward. "And that there was something unusual about me and the wolves. -" My eyes turned to Jake for a second. "- And then I begged him to keep quiet about what he saw. But I also promised that I would tell him everything. Tell him the truth."

Everyone reacted at the same time: Aunt Alice and Grandpa sighed wearily; Aunt Rosalie supported her head like she was having a headache; Uncle Emmett crossed his arms; Tommy closed his eyes as he hit his head in disbelief and muttered "Great"; Uncle Jasper's fists hardened to the point that they looked like they were about to break through his hard skin; Dad and Mom shared wary expressions. Their worries about the situation was mutual. And who wouldn't. If I had been more careful... if I had been paying attention, none of this would've happened. Martie would never have seen me in the lot with the vampires and the wolves. And now, we were all in danger. Not just me, but the rest of my family, Jacob, and Martie too. This was all my...

"Never think that way, Nessie," Dad interrupted.

The others looked at him for a moment, and then followed his glance to me. Jacob rested his other hand under mine to comfort.

"Explain, please," Uncle Emmett demanded - I was a little amused at how he always missed the obvious. dad grinned warily in agreement, and then he explained.

"Nessie was thinking that it was her recklessness that got us into this mess. That if she had paid attention and avoided Martie, he would never have seen her with the wolves. Or the vampires."

Mom came to sit by my side and wrapped her cold arm around my shoulders. Grandma and Aunt Rosalie approached after her and knelt down beside us, their hands rested on mine.

I was instantly feeling lighter, relaxed. The weariness and guilt slipped away very quickly. Uncle Jasper was grinning lightly.

"Thanks, Uncle Jasper, but it won't work forever. Sooner or later I'm gonna have to face these feelings."

He sighed and then the negative feelings returned.

"Nessie," Jacob said. It was his first word since he explained the story. "It's not your fault. If anyone is to blame, it's me. I should've been more careful not to raise any..."

"Stop," I interrupted abruptly. The situation was hard enough as it was, I didn't want Jacob to feel guilty about his part of the problem, too. "Just... don't."

And Jacob shifted the conversation to the other side. The part where they recognized their scents as the ones that visited Forks one month ago, and the ones that killed Tommy's family. Tommy didn't look upset, he was rather shocked and pained. I didn't understand the way he felt. But there was no way to determine that it was calm.

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><p>After the meeting, Tommy, Uncle Jasper and Mom escorted me into my bedroom to tuck me into bed. Jacob left to inform his pack about the situation - he was planning on guarding the house for the time being from a potential vampire attack. Though I felt annoyed by my overprotective boyfriend, there was a small amount of thrill that made his overprotectiveness amusing. Grandpa went back to the hospital for his shift. Dad, Grandma and Aunt Alice went to watch over Martie for the night - locating his adress wasn't hard for a computer expert like Dad. Uncle Emmett comforted Aunt Rosalie about the situation.<p>

As usual, Tommy began his "entertainment" with my request. This time I wished for a snowy meadow in the woods under the bright sun.

"Okay, but don't dance, all right?" he warned with a weary smile. "Last time we did that, you crushed the room, and Eddie punched me very shard with his words."

Uncle Jasper, Mom and I laughed together.

His eyes focused and the room dissolved into an open field in the middle of a forest. Snowflakes floated down from above and around us. Artificial sunlight reflected on the ground, making everything in the surrounding field look brighter, probably too blinding for human eyes to see clearly. I was still in my bed with Tommy, Uncle Jasper and Mom remaining in their places. I reached for a snowflake, clutching it in my warm hand. When I opened, it wasn't there anymore, but there was something else. A glowing orb in the same size - it looked like a firefly engulfed in its own light. I recognized the lights. Not real fireflies, just such created by TV producers to make it more beautiful to the audience. The falling flakes suddenly changed to fireflies in an instant. Thousands. Millions of fireflies. The sunlight disappeared, but the snowy field remained unchanged. I was completely dazed as the fireflies circulated around me. One of them landed on my open palm. Their lights increased, glowing brighter. More beautifully. Then the fireflies shifted form. Surrounding me now were millions of white feathers that flowed downward around the bed, some on top of it. The sun was back in the sky again the same time the lights disappeared. I giggled loudly at the flowing feathers.

A sudden gust of wind blew all the feathers back up from the ground. It sent them flying around the bed in a synchronized circle that mostly would've looked impossible to happen in real life. The breeze was light and gentle to my skin. I didn't want it to stop, or the feathers to stop flying.

They flew high up in the air and exploded once again. This time they were replaced by millions of peach flower petals. At the same time, small trees began to grow in the field. Much, much more quickly than they should, and they were fully grown in a matter of seconds. As the petals fell down on us, the trees blossomed peach flowers. I laughed. The magic was so beautiful that I wasn't sure if I would be able to release myself from it.

A branch on a nearby peach tree grew until it reached above Tommy's hand the same time he held it out and then a single peach was born. It quickly fell off the branch and into his hand and he handed it to me. I took a bite. A stream of sweet juice flowed through my mouth followed by the flesh.

Then, the peach turned into a handful of magical stardust and vanished.

Tommy sighed, and then said. "Close your eyes."

I looked bewildered at him.

"I know you don't want this scene to disappear," he explained. "So I'm going to make it easy for you. Just close your eyes."

So it was time, then. I breathed slightly heavily and did as he asked. When they opened again, we were back in my room.

Mom approached and sat on the side of my bed. "What did you see?" she asked.

I touched her face and showed her everything. She was as dazed by it as I was.

"Wow, that's very impressive, Thomas," she complimented.

He grinned in response to her compliment, but then sighed. "It's too bad you can't see it for yourself." He leaned forward and kissed my forehead. "Good night, Nessie."

He turned to leave as Uncle Jasper approached to kiss me, too.

"Wait, guys," I called and stopped them abruptly. "I'm really sorry about this."

"Hey, don't worry about it," Mom comforted. "Nobody can really predict the future."

"Except your Aunt Phoebe, of course," Tommy interjected with a joke.

I sighed and told the truth that had been quenching inside me. "I don't know what to do. I know protecting our secret is a top priority, but I can't lie to him. And if I do tell him the truth, it's going to be too dangerous for all of us. For him, too."

Mom brushed her cold fingers across my hair. "I know, sweetheart, I know. But we'll work it out somehow. Your dad doesn't want to hurt him any more than you do."

I nodded, hiding my unconvinced feelings. She kissed my head and tucked me under. "Now, get some sleep. We'll see you tomorrow. Good night."

"Good night, Mom."

Tommy and Uncle Jasper went upstairs as she turned off the lights and closed the door behind her. I closed my eyes to invite subconsciousness. Heavy paws thudded near my window. I recognized the shallow breathing from Jacob's wolf nose. The thought of having me outside my window made me feel somewhat more relieved.

"Good night, Jacob," I whispered, knowing that he could hear me. He responded with a quiet huff.

I closed my eyes again.

* * *

><p>Morning began with a strong flashed of sunlight breaking through the mountains and the skyful of clouds. The difference was I didn't find the warmth refreshing. Despite my unusually high temperature, the warmth was still unusually hot against my skin.<p>

I stayed in bed, feeling no actual mood to get off bed. The thought of starting the day was a burden I had not anticipated. Not as life threatening as when the Volturi came to kill me and my family, but the risk was as high.

Someone knocked lightly my window. I removed the sheets to find Jacob outside, in his shorts and a brown top. Seeing him suddenly made everything better: I found myself in a much better mood, the previous gloomy feelings had dissipated altogether. I immediately removed from the bed to open the window for him. His smile was undeniably charming and joyful.

"Hey," he greeted with a breath as we embraced. His warm skin ever so comfortable against mine.

"Hey," I replied simply.

When we let go, his expression was wary, but his smile remained. "How are you?"

"Sorta gloomy before. But when you knocked on my window, everything felt better. It's like you got magic on me." Ouch! What an embarrassing thing to say.

He laughed and looked down for a second. "I always thought _you_ were the one who had magic on _me_."

My laugh rang with his like dangling bells. It felt funny to be this carefree around him. I forced away part of the happy feelings to get to the more serious side of the mess. "Um, did you find anything?"

He shook his head with a frown. "Nothing whatsoever, not even the victim. No sign of anything than the smell that lead to the lake. It's like he didn't want us to find him. The local news, though, are a different story. Just heard from Embry that they're releasing story about the totalled parking lot and the only found victim with the possible work of bears. Seems like Martie's kept his mouth shut."

I nodded once. His eyes looked over my shoulders for a short second, and then shifted back to me and he said. "Okay, I better step through the front door. Your mom already knows I'm here. It's a good thing if I just maintain the goody boyfriend behavior."

So this was why he hadn't stepped into my bedroom through the window. I grinned at his gesture. "I'll be in the bathroom for the next ten minutes. See you upstairs."

A snort escaped his throat. He was about to leave for the front door when my iPhone rang. The dial came from Martie.

"Hello?" I said nervously.

_"I want to know the truth,"_ he said directly with a barely calm voice. _"Can we meet at the Cloverdale Four-Leaf Beans at 10 o'clock?"_

After I agreed, the home phone rang. Mom confirmed that it was Dad, and I knew what he was picking up.

* * *

><p>Martie, Jacob and I met the Beans as scheduled. He was surprised to see Jacob, but I assured it was all right. We chose a private little round table near the windows. My family watched us from Dad's Volvo and Aunt Alice's Porsche across the street - it was too sunny for them to reveal themselves in public.<p>

"You promised me the truth," Martie began with a business-like voice. Sharp and expressionless. "That's why I asked you to meet me here."

I nodded, but then said. "I can only tell you as much as I'm allowed."

His lips crooked to one side. "You mean you can't tell me everything?" After a second, he added. "Because it's dangerous if I knew too much?"

I nodded again, but otherwise said nothing. There was no way to make this conversation any easier. Jacob grabbed my hand and nudged it in his. Suddenly my worries felt easier to bear: his magic lifted uneasiness like Tommy's "night show". I grinned lightly at him, and resumed my focus.

"What you saw last night, the man who ran away with the girl..."

"Jessica," he corrected.

"With Jessica." I gulped, nerves back again as I said the words. "That was a vampire."

His eyes widened. "Like...," Swallow. "Real vampires...?"

"Fangs and all," Jake answered sarcastically. I punched his hip and took over the conversation again. Might as well start from the beginning. Tell him the truth. He'd already been seen too. For all we knew, his life could be in as much danger as the rest of ours'. I looked to Dad in his Volvo for support. He gave an approving nod, and I looked to Martie again.

"The wolves tried to stop the vampires, but it was already too late. Jessica was already bitten, and Chad was dead the moment they got there. They fought the vampires until there was only one left."

"That's when I came in?" he realized. "And accidentally gave him an opportunity to escape?"

I nodded again. Aunt Rosalie will probably kill me for telling this.

Before we could go further, the watress came back with three cups of coffee. I continued after she left, talking quietly to make sure the other customers around us weren't listening. It was bad enough to have Martie know about this.

"It was the wolves that stopped them in the first place. Otherwise I imagine there would've been more casualties, if not already."

He became thoughtful for a moment, temporarily ignoring his surroundings. When he refocused, his eyes were a little wary. A deep breath escaped his lungs. "So... where does that put the two of you?" he finally asked.

Jacob and I shared looks that said _"Here comes the other hard part."_ I took a deep breath, taking all scents in my surrounding. "The wolf that you saw me with... was, uh..."

"It was me," Jake concluded my line.

Martie looked at him like he couldn't understand Arabic. He went on. "Me and some of my people inherited the power to turn into wolves. We use this gift to fight vampires." He looked to me, and then across the street. "The ones that drink human blood, anyway."

Martie looked confused at him, and then turned to me.

"What about you?" he asked.

I gulped nervously. This wasn't getting any easier. Jacob gently nudged my hand, giving me courage. I swallowed again and said "I'm a half-vampire. My family are vampires who have renounced from human blood."

His eyes spread wide as he took in this new information.

"Half-vampire?" he breathed. "Like... like a... a dhampir?"

I snorted at the name. "I suppose you could call it that. We don't exactly have a name for it."

He closed his eyes as he struggled to maintain his calm. He sipped his coffee. This wasn't something that should have made me feel uneasy, but it did. The fact that I wasn't making it easier for any of us was beginning to quench. And putting Martie through the hardship was a little worse than I thought.

Maybe there _was_ a way to make it easier.

"Do you mind going somewhere with us?" I asked.

He turned suspicious. "Where?"

"Just the woods. I wanna show you something." And then I joked. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna bite you."

He made a half-serious snort while Jake laughed and gave gave me a confident grin, though the situation was anything but.

We didn't talk the whole way into the nearby forest. The others kept a good distance, which was a good thing. Martie was getting edgier by the second.

When we were far enough, I turned to face Martie while Jake leaned against a thick tree.

"Martie, I can show you that I'm still the same Nessie that you met that day at school, that I do think of you as a friend. That's why I'm gonna show you something... so you can see that... I'm still me."

His eyebrows creased together in curiosity and made a deep dimple. "What does that mean?"

I laid out my hands, keeping them a few centimeters distance between us. "I have a gift for that. Just... try not to freak out, please."

He looked down at my hands for a moment, struggling between whether to obey or decline. After a minute, he gave up with a huff and leaned forward with his head. As soon as my fingers met his cheekbone, I showed him the day we met, the way I looked at him through my eyes. He gasped in shock, but did not restrain himself. I preceded to show him the night at my birthday party, the times we hung out together outside of school, the day he told me his feelings, the day we bumped into each other outside the costume shop. I fisted together my fingers at the costume shop, breaking the connection.

Slowly, I retrieved my hand as he gasped for air. Jacob glanced at him tensely. For a moment, I thought he was going to have a heart attack, but he kept his breathing even and in order.

Finally, one word escaped his mouth.

"Wow."

Jacob's tense position lightened a little bit, and I was feeling a little more relaxed. Martie used a second to recover his shock. His eyes refocused on me - his glance wasn't frightened or composed, rather it was dazed.

"You really are special, aren't you?" he said in a dazed voice.

It was easy to see the amazement in his eyes, like he'd come to accept me for who I really was. Jacob's lips lifted into a large smile across his cheeks.

And I was smiling, too.


	23. Precaution

**CHAPTER 23 - PRECAUTION**

_**Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Renesmee<strong>

There was no way to describe how happy I was. Ever since Martie learned about me and my family, everything's become so easy, though he was shocked to find out that Bella and Edward were my real parents, and that I was really seven years old. He once mumbled that he "befriended a little half-vampire kid", though it was the supernatural gifts that really surprised him. Dad confirmed that his thoughts were purely of interest and accepted his curiosity about vampires and the supernatural.

"He knows the consequences of telling anyone about us, but most of all, he cares about you too much to do you any harm," Dad explained one night with a proud grin on his face. I wondered what he was so happy about.

"I'm just happy that you have found a true friend, Renesmee. Your mom is happy for your sake, too. Like everyone else." Not everyone. I grimaced. "Okay, maybe just your Aunt Rosalie. But she's just not thrilled with the idea of having another human know out secret. She _is_ happy for you though. Don't worry, your Uncle Emmett'll persuade her to think positively about this."

Aunt Rosalie kept to herself about her uneasiness of Martie's involvement. But there were other matters worse than an angry aunt.

That Leah was unhappy with her now-returned wolf form was an understatement. Though she was glad to be able to help when the vampires attacked, she was highly upset that her wolf self had returned. Jacob called once in to check on her, and she consorted in him - or rather, yelled out her anger - about how having to start from scratch after years of hard work to quit. I felt sorry for her, of course, but her pesty attitude made it hard to be around her.

But the worst part was the aftershake of the vampire attack. Dad hadn't been able to track the surviving vampire, and since we didn't have any connection to him, there was no way to rely on Aunt Alice's vision. After Grant's - the other victim - funeral, things only became normal again on the surface. In the dark shadows, families mourned the death of a son and the disappearance of his girlfriend, people were talking all over about this in the open, and hunter troops set out hunting bears in the forest.

Jacob had to restrain himself from phasing until the hunting troops lowered their guards. And I hoped that there wouldn't be any reason to. The idea of Jacob being seen by hunters in wolf form was too horrifying to my core. The other wolves didn't like leaving Jake alone in a town full of hunters, but he reasoned that the more stayed behind the more suspicion will arise, especially with seven hugely built people hanging around town with the rest of us.

And my family decided to hunt only at night for the moment, while some would patrol for any potential vampire attack.

Hopefully, the situation wouldn't turn too seriously.

"Can't you ask your, er... Alice to stop trying to read my future?" Martie complained while we hung out in his room. The fact that Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, Tommy and Alice were my uncles and aunts was still creeping him out. "It's no wonder Thomas keeps calling her Phoebe."

I laughed at the nickname and then asked. "How did the TV show go anyway? I've never watched it."

He snorted for a short second. "Well, it's an 8-year long series that told a story about three sisters - well, actually four - who were magical witches known as The Charmed Ones. I got the entire collection in my closet. You can borrow it if you want." He pointed.

I was grateful to have Martie as a human friend. The first one outside of La Push and Forks, the first one outside the Quileute tribe, the first person outside of my family. It felt great to have such good friend know about who I was and what my family could do. I quickly refocused to answer his offer. "No, I'm good, thanks."

He casually turned his attention to the forest outside his window. I knew what he was looking for. Something that only I could see.

"They're never gonna stop looking into my room while you're here, are they?" he asked nervously.

I grinned. "They're just a little annoyingly overprotective."

This time, he grinned with me. "I'll bet. You're the star of the family, so why wouldn't they put your safety on a top priority. Although I gotta say, I'm still a little bit freaked out about your family being sleepless vampires." Before I could say anything, he held up his hands. "I know, I know. I know you guys are good, and that you never hurt people, but it's still a little weird being around vampires. This is new to me. I mean, it's one thing to believe in magic and all the supernatural stuff, but another to actually see it."

I frowned. "Do I freak you out?"

His jaw gaped in surprise. After a minute, he recovered. "Not nearly as much as Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper."

I grinned humorlessly and my eyes dropped on the bed sheets. All that happy feeling about having a human friend disappeared like smoke in an instant - it suddenly felt a little harder than I had envisioned.

He noticed my change of mood.

"I'm sorry. I-I just... need a little more time, that's all."

I sighed without looking at him and casually sent my hand across our pile of homework and took out a history book. "Let's get to the Cosmopolitan Intervention," I said, my eyes looking up at him again. "You gotta work harder if you wanna pass the test on Thursday."

He sighed and picked up his notebook without saying anything. We focused more on studying after that. Or at least I did. Martie occasionally asked questions that most people wouldn't have bothered to ask. But then again, no one ever knew who they were dealing with.

The night ended at 10:30.

"Thanks for the help, Nessie, I'll let you know when I pass this thing," Martie said as he walked me to the door.

"No problem," I replied. "I'll see you at school."

I was about to walk through the front door when he called.

"Wait." I turned my head around. He looked over his shoulder for a short second, making sure that no one was listening and then whispered. "I'm sorry about the way I act. I don't mean to make you uncomfortable."

I grinned at his care and whispered back. "Don't worry about it. I think I'm starting to learn that most people would have acted worse if they had known what my family was. Edward already thinks you're handling it very well."

"He did?" he whispered in a surprised tone.

I nodded. Then, he said more proudly. "I guess I should be earning an trophy for that."

Our whispers stopped with my burst of laughter. We said our good-nights and I headed into the forest where Jacob, Mom and Dad waited. Grins flashed across our faces as I reached Jake's hand and we headed home.

* * *

><p>In the next month, things had begun to slow down. Hunters ceased hunting activity in the woods due to the upcoming snow season, talks returned to more normal topics - no more of Jessica's missing case, no more suspicion of animal conspiracy. Julie had started to treat me nonchalantly, too, though the others tended to look our way at lunch. Danielle spread some rumors about Aunt Alice smoking in the girl's room, but Uncle Jasper quickly frightened her to silence and the rumors ceased almost as fast as they started. Aunt Rosalie flirted with Danielle's boyfriend to make her taste jealousy, but she didn't let the flirting go any further. Uncle Emmett wouldn't like the idea too much. Mom and Dad just enjoyed the show on the sidelines. Frankly, I couldn't see the point of making another person jealous for no apparent reason.<p>

There hadn't been any other vampire attacks since the party, but some of us hadn't relaxed.

"Mom, Dad, Jake, you three worry a little too much," I complained during a hunting trip. Not one of them had let me out of their sight since the party, and it was beginning to annoy me to the core. Not even the new snow season could relieve my annoyance.

"Sorry, Sweetheart, but it's for your own safety," Mom countered. "I know you're old enough to take care of yourself, but it's a parent's job to worry."

Argh! I shifted my attention and sniffed for a scent. A faint fragrance seeped through my nose. Scent of a deer.

"See you later." I curled into a spring as I followed the scent through the snowing woods. Sounds of thudding paws against the light snow followed closely behind. As soon as I stopped my running, the running paws pressed against the snowy ground as Jake skidded past me. He flipped his body around, stopping right on his spot and turned to look at me.

At first I didn't say anything - I was so annoyed by his overprotectiveness that I could almost run the other way. Those dark eyes engraved perfectly into his wolf face flashed a kind of innocence as he waited. As if he was begging for my permission but didn't want to push me either. And just for that, I melted.

"Okay, you know you're only coming along because you're too sweet to be rejected," I told him with little bitterness in my voice. Jake barked a joyful laugh and poked his nose to my shoulder. And all the annoyance faded into thin air. Vanished to someplace I couldn't find. "All right, back away before I stop you from licking my face," I said with a laugh. "And I'm hungry, so you get hunting before your GF starves to death. Now, I was just chasing a deer nearby," I pointed over his shoulder. "Go get it for me, big boy!"

He nodded with a huffing voice and turned to spring across the woods. He was back with the prey in less than two minutes.


	24. Compassion

**CHAPTER 24 - COMPASSION**

_**Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Renesmee<strong>

"New murder cases in Portland?" Uncle Emmett asked after Dad and Grandpa told us about the new death rate they read from the newspaper.

Mom, Aunt Alice, Tommy, Aunt Rosalie, Jacob, Grandma and Uncle Jasper paid attention while I read the newspaper on the table:

_DEATH RATE INCREASES - POSSIBLE WORK OF SERIAL KILLER_

_The rate of murders have increased to 30 percent within 1 month. In the beginning week, there were at least 10 people going missing or found brutally murdered. Within one month, the murder rate increased horrificly and over 20 people are found brutally murdered in back allies or abandoned properties, their bodyparts scattered across the crime scenes. The victims have no relation regarding community, activity, age or races. Theories range to the possible work of a wild serial killer._

_Similar murder cases occured between 2005-2006 in Seattle. The murders ceased that summer, 2006. The police suspect it to be the work of the same cult._

The news sent a shiver down my spine, meanwhile the thought of blood being spilled around an area made my throat ache and dry a little. But the thought of people being murdered brutally overshadowed the thirst.

Uncle Jasper thought for a moment and then said. "Sounds like the work of newborns."

"Newborn activity in Portland after a few vampires passed through Cloverdale," Aunt Rosalie interjected. "Too convenient for coincidences."

Tommy's fingers clutched the arm of his armchair and dug his nails into the fragile wood, making a hard fist at the same time. Pieces and dust fell off the broken arm. His eyes shut and his lips pursed together as he struggled to push away the overwhelming anger. His other hand fisted together in his lap. Dad, Mom, Grandma and Grandpa looked at him with sympathetic looks. Grandma grimaced as if she could feel his pain, though it was really Uncle Jasper who could do it. Aunt Rosalie looked away senselessly while Uncle Emmett sat beside her and observed calmly.

"Let's not jump to conclusions," Aunt Alice suggested. "We don't even know if the cases are related. For all we know, there could be other vampires roaming the city."

Jacob, Mom and I looked to Dad, who remained expressionless but also exposed denial. He would only wear that face when he knew something that he didn't want to tell. I remembered that look from a few years ago when they planned a surprise party for me; he knew everything, but never spilled a single word, though his expression already did. Of course, I couldn't read his expression too well back then. Mom knew his lying skills, too.

He looked away from me after he picked my realization, trying to hide it from me.

_Dad, if you know something, you better say it,_ I thought.

His eyes moved from right to left and then left to right, signaling a "no can do". Then his expression changed completely to weariness. Before I could make out what he was doing, two things happened at once. Dad crouched and readied his arms, but stayed in place; and Tommy left his seat and made a run before Dad caught him and clinched him into a headlock so fast there wasn't time for us to react and pinned him to the ground, but then his hands shook off violently and vibrated up to his body. It was as if he had been shocked. Mom stood frozen in her place. Then I remembered that Tommy's gift had a simulation with Kate's. He rolled himself back on his feet in an instant. Uncle Emmett and Uncle Jasper immediately moved to stand in between him and Aunt Rosalie and Aunt Alice, their arms spread protectively in front of them. Jake immediately rose from his place to stand in front of me. His arms already shaking.

"Bella!" Grandpa shouted, urging her out of her shocked state as he moved to stand in front of Grandma.

Tommy focused on them, but there was nothing. No loss of eyesight, no scream of agony, no nothing. Mom must have pushed out her shield. He thrashed violently at Bella as she blocked his gift, and she snarled at him in response. As she supported Dad back on his feet, I felt my own anger wash over me. It forced my body off the couch and then I was snarling at my enemy with furious fire in my throat. His angry yellow eyes turned to my direction. The others stood in place and waited for him to make the first move. Fire burned in my chest. I clung my fingers together. I could feel the fire burn in me, building up my strength. If he made a move on my parents, if he so much as walk toward them, I would crush him into a billion pieces.

"Thomas, listen," Dad urged, his voice free from the pain. "I know how upset you are. I can hear it in your thoughts. You want revenge. You want justice for your lost family. But you can't let your feelings cloud your better judgment. It'll drive you to absolute loss of control. I know that deep down, you don't want to hurt anyone. Don't let revenge drive you to the edge!"

His angry eyes began to waver. Dad continued to reason with him with words too urgent to sound like comfort and Uncle Jasper worked his magic. In the next few seconds, he finally calmed down and Dad relaxed in his position. And I was too. Then Tommy turned to the opposite direction and darted toward the window by the staircase, opened it and leaped through it. Before we knew it, he disappeared into the forest.

"Oh, no," Dad murmured uneasily.

Grandpa looked at him with a questioning look.

"No, he didn't trick us," Dad answered his silent question. "He just wanted some space, but it was really Jasper's gift that made him calm down, which means..."

"The desire for vengeance will resurface if he's away from Jasper," Mom finished in a harsh voice. "Which means he might decides to go to Portland again."

"Better go after him," Uncle Emmett said and starting running after him.

Grandpa, Aunt Alice, Dad and Uncle Jasper followed. Mom was about to take off when she stopped abruptly and looked to Jacob. "Stay with Nessie," she said and then darted after them through the window.

Grandma and Aunt Rosalie stayed in their positions like frozen statues. Jake had already calmed down and lowered his protective arm. Grandma looked to us kindly and said. "Nessie, why don't you hang out at Jacob's house for the rest of the day?" Sounded like a good idea. I was still upset with Tommy's actions to want to stay in the house that he will return to. Jake nodded in agreement and held my hand, but instead of dragging, I walked with him towards the front door.

Nothing happened on our way to Jacob's house other than the raining snowflakes. My anger had dimmed by now, and I had the time to think over Tommy's reasons for his behavior and understand. Unlike the rest of us, his entire family was murdered. He watched them die in front of his own eyes, and had no power to prevent any of it.

I was reminded of the one time I felt that helpless, when the Volturi came to kill me 7 years ago because of a misunderstanding. My vampire mind reminisced those moments perfectly. My mother tried to send me away to keep me safe, and I felt the deepest agony quench through my chest. I was completely helpless in that moment.

_"When the time comes today, you have to leave me,"_ she said.

I tried to argue with her, but she begged me to leave for her sake, to stay alive for her. She wanted me to stay alive. I couldn't make out her pain, but it was easy to match mine with hers. That was why I agreed. My breathing stopped and I almost choked.

"Are you okay?" Jake asked, interrupting my thoughts. His expression was sullen and sad. "Why were you thinking about the last time we met the Volturi?"

I looked down on my hand in his and realized that I had accidentally implanted my thoughts into his mind. His eyes were so sincerely worried that it felt hard to hide him from the truth. Or rather against the grain to do it.

"Um, I was just thinking about Tommy. About how he watched his family die, how they died in front of him, and how he felt when it..." I trailed off. There weren't even words to how he had felt. No words to how I felt when I experienced something this closely.

Jacob pressed his brows together anguishly and turned his body to look me correctly in the eye, and placed his free hand on my cheek. His warm skin comforted mine. I immediately began to feel better. The sadness lightened by his soft touch, like a veil had been lifted off my head and unblocked my sight.

He looked into my eyes with a serious expression. "I'm sorry you have to feel that," he said apologetically, which I couldn't understand. It wasn't like he was the one suffering. I smiled lightly and touched his chin to show him how much better I was already beginning to feel. His face lifted into a soft smile, too. Probably because he realized that it was his touch that cheered me up. I stopped the connection to run my palm and fingers up to his cheek. He closed his eyes as he felt my hand explore the rest of his warm face. His palm and fingers began to do the same, nudging my face in a soft, slow pace that prompted me to shut my eyes, and then I was absorbed by it.

"That feels so nice," he said in a whisper.

His breath blew into my face, and I inhaled it. Without opening my eyes, I slowly leaned forward. Partly by my own will, and partly by the gravitational pull that compelled me. And from his movement and the increasing warmth of his breath, I could tell that he was doing the same. Our other hands released from each other to position themselves on our faces. And then my upper lip touched his lower lip.

A strong sensation of his touch sent my heart and every fiber in my being into flames. I wanted more. He advanced and kissed me again, this time a little more aggressively. My fingers moved to the back of his ears as I let him have his way with my mouth. His hands slowly slid down to my hips.

**Jacob**

I was engulfed, wrapped in and trapped by the fire that burned inside my chest. My heart pumped 10 times faster its usual pace, and all my veins sent the fire throughout my body.

As careful as I tried to be with Nessie, I found myself slipping away. Every passing second, I _wanted_ her. It became so hard to keep control over myself. More importantly, I _didn't_ want to restrain myself. Not when she was kissing so enthusiastically. I melted with desire.

**Renesmee and Jacob**

With every kiss we shared, we craved even more. Couldn't get enough of it. We were both glowing with passion, desire and heat. In that instant, we were once again floating in space glowing with the same fire that made us one luminous star by two pieces.

**Jacob**

_Stop it, Jacob. You can't cause yourself any more trouble. Restrain yourself!_ I kept telling myself.

I pulled away my mouth, and retracted when Nessie leaned in for more. I immediately unwrapped my arms and took a few steps back. It felt wrong. Unnatural. To be away from her. Not with the pull that made me want her by my side. But if I wanted her, I had to be a good boyfriend. To prove that I was good for her.

She frowned and looked down on the snowy ground. "I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry, Nessie," I urged. "I should've kept myself in control."

She looked up.

"It's not your fault, Jacob. I shouldn't have made a move like that."

"Nessie, , no. It's not your fault."

She looked down again, not meeting my eyes and composed herself. I waited anxiously for her to say something. After a moment, she looked to me again with her most charming smile. "Let's get to your place. I'll need to be there when Mom and Dad go to pick me up."

Of course. And I would do anything for her.

I forced forth a light smile and held out my hand. She took it.

Gosh! The fire burned again, and it would feel harder to quench it away if I didn't start focusing on something else soon.

"Let's go," I said and concentrated on my home.

We spent the rest of the day and evening watching TV and playing cards. Nessie watched and learned when I spent two hours replacing the old pump with a new one. She was exasperated with my mad skills on vehicles and mechanism. It wasn't that she liked doing it, but she liked to watch me work with my hands.

Thank goodness I never had the idea of competing with Rosalie. Sleepless Beauty would trash my metal bar before I could touch it.

"Oh my God," she whispered suddenly from the living room. I put away the dinner preparations and left the kitchen. She was just sitting there watching a medical documentary. A documentary on little unhealthy children lying in beds and attached by needles. The little boy on the screen was breathing with heart murmur while being treated by doctors. He wasn't only having heart murmur, but also had high fever.

She looked over the couch to see me, and I could tell from the expression on her face that she was sympathizing for the kid.

I sat by her side to comfort her.

"I can't believe things can go so badly for humans," she whispered. "Some children are born in unhealthy environment that made them in constant need of medical attention."

I put an arm around her shoulder and said, "Yeah. Some people don't exactly get as lucky as you." When she didn't answer, I said, "You know, sometimes it's natural to get sick. I mean, I got sick many times when I was still human."

She looked to me. "How sick?"

"Well, not seriously sick. Just had fever a couple of times, a few colds. Doctors said it was natural for kids to have fever, because that's how they build up their immune system."

She looked to the TV again and said sadly, "But there are some cases that people get sick because they have weak immune systems."

I was out of words. That I couldn't disagree, so I nodded and said nothing. She leaned into my arms as I embraced her.

"I wish there was something we could do for them."

I shook my head. "There's nothing we can do. Even vampires don't have the power to heal natural causes of death and diseases. The best we can do is make a better day to live for."

We didn't say anything. She rested her head on my chest, her head right below my chin. The fire in me was glowing gently, not burning with desire this times, but warming with comfort.

"I better go make dinner."

"Please? Stay with me for one more minute? Just one more."

We were whispering.

"Anything you want."

She giggled. " Have I ever told you you're the best boyfriend in the world?"

I burst into laughter. "No, you certainly haven't."

"Well, you are. You're like truly... totally... completely... absolutely the best boyfriend I could ever have."

I was gloating with her now. "Aw, thanks." I lifted her left hand to see the bracelet I gave her. "And you are sincerely the most wonderful girlfriend in the whole world. _The_ most beautiful, special, smart and wonderful girl I have ever met."

She laughed with me. "Thanks. Now I'm blushing."

My laughter rang like pealing bells, though hers sounded way more beautiful.

**Renesmee**

Friday. The last day of the semester. Everyone was eager to leave and start celebrating Christmas and New Year. The halls and classrooms were filled with the cheery atmosphere, influenced by the decorations and the Christmas songs that played in the loudspeakers. Even the town was covered in snow.

"All right, everyone! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! See you next semester," Mr. Brickson concluded.

The silent classroom immediately broke into a buzzling mood as the students started packing their backpacks and talked.

I was finished packing by the time Martie came to my side.

"So do you have any plans for Christmas?" he asked.

I grinned. "Well, no vacations this year, that's for sure."

"Why not?"

I got to my feet. "We've been on more vacations than most people could afford. In fact, we've been taking vacations on Christmas three years in a row. Wanna take it slow this time, keep it closer to home. Besides it's a lot of hunting anyway."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Take my word for it."

"OK." Then he changed the subject. "And what about the Portland thing?"

I sighed. Why did I bother telling him? "They've already been down there to investigate, turns out they were only passing through. And not the vampires that crashed the Halloween party."

He sighed in relief, although I couldn't quite see why he would be relieved.

We walked into the busy hall where Mom, Dad, Aunt Alice and Jake waited by the lockers.

I continued our conversation. "What about you? You going up North, right?"

"Nah, some cousins invited me and my family to Bora Bora for the holiday, but we decide to celebrate quietly this year. Gotta lighten up the traveling spirits now and then, you know."

I grinned. Martie really was easy to be around, and the best part was he knew what I was. I never have to keep secrets from my best human friend. Of course, I do have to keep the more crucial ones to myself. It was better not letting him know everything about my world. Both for his and my sake.

Aunt Alice approached first. "Hey," she greeted. "You ready to go home?"

I nodded.

"Carlisle will be working overtime tonight. Some new kids have been signed into the hospital at the last minute, and he needs to run tests on them," Dad informed.

I nodded. Jacob came to my side and held my hand.

We walked down the hall taking casual conversations with each other. Martie seemed a little more uncomfortable around my parents than me. Probably because I became his friend before he found out about me. Even though it didn't feel right that he felt uncomfortable around the rest of my family, I somehow felt grateful that he was more comfortable to see me more as a friend. Of course, he was also more comfortable to be around Jacob. He was at least human enough.

"Hey, look," Aunt Alice pointed to a huge notice board across the hall covered with papers at the end of the hallway. "They put up some at the last minute notice."

I randomly looked through the papers, seeing nothing interesting. All advertisement on delivery services for Christmas, item search, or offerings. One paper caught my eye. I tuned in my sight to read more.

**Volunteers Wanted**

_Due to the increased numbers of patients at the Cloverdale Hospital and the lack of staff members between Christmas and New Year's Eve, the hospital requires volunteers for the pediatrics ward._

_Please contact the staff in charge._

Below the advertisement were names, phone numbers and e-mail addresses of the staff members in charge. One of them was Grandpa's. He was in charge of the Christmas volunteering activity? Guess it was a last minute decision.

I thought back to last night at Jake's house. The documentary that showed children with health problems who frequently landed them into hospitals and constant needs of medical attention. Kids who weren't as lucky as I was. They must not have felt happy with the ways they were.

Tommy told me once that his mom was not at all healthy as an infant and needed constant vitamines and medical help to receive strength to stand on her own. It took her years to gain that, and before that she was constantly bullied by other kids at school for walking improperly.

The children at the hospital will be living through Christmas in their beds, their only presents being medicine and the only people to spend it with them will be the doctors and nurses.

Perhaps we should do something about it rather than keeping to ourselves. At least someone will be happy to help.

I looked at Dad. He flashed a large grin at me, and I was glad that he agreed with me. Aunt Alice, Mom, Jacob and Martie noticed our shared looks.

"You two better spill it, cuz I can't _see_," Aunt Alice demanded.

Martie shrugged uncomfortably.

I snorted, walked toward the notice board with Jake, pulled the paper off its pin and walked back with it hanging in between my fingers. Jacob grinned enthusiastically as my other hand told him my plot.

Then I told the others.

"Let's volunteer."


	25. Christmas Is About Giving

**CHAPTER 25 - CHRISTMAS IS ABOUT GIVING**

_**Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Bella<strong>

We checked in to the hospital at exactly 10 o'clock; Edward, Renesmee, Jacob, Rosalie, Alice, and me.

"This totally spoils my plans for the holiday," Aunt Alice complained under her breath.

"It's for a good cause, Alice," Edward reasoned with a confident grin. "And we're only taking care of children. All we have to do is avoid any temptation of blood and we'll do fine. Besides, you still have plenty of time to plan the celebration." I wasn't sure if he really was that confident or just trying to make a good example.

I snorted. Too bad Thomas wasn't here. He liked kids. And like Rosalie, he once dreamt of starting his own family before immortality stripped away that opportunity from him. But he decided to decline the offer for _their_ safety, he couldn't be sure if he was strong enough to resist the scent of fragile little humans. Emmett was a little eager to come, but we decided that he was _too_ physically intimidating to make any human comfortable with being around him. And scaring them was the last thing we wanted. Jasper stayed away for the same reason as Thomas's - he wasn't sure if he could restrain himself, even though his control had improved tremendously over the past seven years.

Martie called as he ran breathlessly toward us, "Hey..." Heavy breaths. "Sorry... I'm late."

"That's all right, we only just checked in," I assured.

My perfect sight was focused on Martie, but Renesmee's grin at his appearance was impossible to miss. Blightness glowed in her smiling eyes. He had given my daughter something none of us knew that she lacked; a human friend. Someone out of the extraordinary. I hoped it will keep that way for a long time. For both their sakes.

"Let's go get changed and get started," Rosalie said.

And then we separated to our changing rooms.

**Alice**

Right after we were given instructions and assignments for the day, we all separated to our destinations in the pediatrics ward. The head doctor, Travis Grant, led me, Rosalie and Bella one of the chambers while Renesmee, Martie, Edward and Jacob went to the other room. Since there were so many of us volunteering, the staff decided to split us in groups. It wasn't easy getting the other staff members to work, though. Wherever we passed, gleaming eyes glanced at us like they were seeing worshipping gods.

"Hello, everyone, I'm Alice," I introduced loudly for the kids to hear. "This is Bella and Rosalie, and we'll be spending the holiday with you. Of course, that is while you stay in the hospital."

Their eyes glowed at us, like they'd just seen the beautiful princesses that could have come from fairytales.

I saw it then: we, the three of us well acquainted with the kids. I saw Bella reading stories to some of them, Rosalie happily, and very, very carefully, brushing their hair, and me talking to some of the sick kids and made the day better for them. The guys, on the other hand, were hard to see; Jacob and Nessie were too involved to reveal anything. The blind spots covered everything. I grunted irritatingly.

Aro will probably never covet me and my power as much as he once did. Why would he want my power now that he knew that my vision could be blocked by indecisions, human-vampire half-breeds (or "dhampirs" as Martie called it), Quileute shape-shifters. Hell, I probably can't even see real werewolves, either. Not that I minded about being narrowed down to an unwanted list by Aro, but I wasn't happy about being "blindfolded", either.

"Alice," Bella called, confused by my suddenly sur expression.

"Oh, um, sorry." I pushed the negative thought to the back of my small brain.

We scattered to familiarize ourselves with the kids. Bella loved the kids; she'd been a mother for years now, so of course it would be natural for her to love children and be such a loving caretaker. And Rosalie had wanted children of her own since before she became a vampire; and although it was impossible for her to bear her own children, Renesmee's birth brought out the happier and more maternal side in her. Also, she loved being viewed as beautiful; the adoration was something she still loved. Pfft! What a shallow sister I have.

I was not as good at taking care of children as the two of them, but it wasn't all that hard to learn the ropes. In a matter of hours, I was already as good as the rest of them.

"Can you read us 'Alice in Wonderland', please?" Travis, the 6 year-old disabled boy requested. He held out the book of _Alice in Wonderland_.

I took it, sat down beside the kids and started reading. They listened intently as I read and moved my hands to describe the content.

"Why is the Queen so mean to Alice?" Nina asked.

I thought for a half-second. "Well, because the Queen is used to being very spoiled."

"What does 'spoiled' mean?"

"It means, you always get what you want, and others always do what you say without saying no. After many years of getting that, you expect things to go exactly the way you want. You know, like your daddy and mommy always buying you moving toys, or your friends are always letting you tell them what to do. You get used to it, and then you just wait for them to do it everyday."

Nina leaned down on my chest, but then jerked away when she realized it was cold like ice.

Laughter filled the room when one of Rosalie's kids declared victory in pinochle. I knew that she had allowed him to win on purpose. She was good at card games even without my vision.

**Rosalie**

Mikey laughed a pealing laugh to declare his victory in pinochle. I'd played with it too many times to _not_ be good at it, but I decided to let him feel the small glory of victory. Somehow, he looked very much like someone I remembered. Small dimples across his happy face and dark curly hair. He looked like two people: my best friend's baby son, Henry; and mostly, my beloved Emmett. Ever so angelic.

I looked to the other three children. All were different in appearance, and yet beautiful like angels. Not half as beautiful as my niece Renesmee, of course, but still beautiful.

I brushed through the golden hair of Greta, my youngest responsibility, with my cold fingers.

"How come are you so cold, Rosalie?" she asked as she shivered uncomfortably.

I slowly retracted my hand and whispered, loud enough for Bella and Alice to hear. "Because I have a little secret."

"What secret?" David wondered.

The others glanced in interest. I leaned down until my back reached 45 degrees and they did the same.

"Because I lived in the coldest places ever. Me and my family. We've been to Antarctica and Arctica, even lived up in Alaska for a while with some cousins."

"You've been to Antarctica?" Helia asked. "I've only watched it on TV. Were there any white bears?"

I shook my head and then added. "But there were plenty of cute little penguins and whales."

They grinned in gleaming anticipation. And I knew I was gleaming, too. And like always, I wasn't gleaming because they viewed me as a beautiful princess.

**Jacob**

I placed the empty cup next to Frankie's bed.

"Would you like to have anything else?" I asked conveniently. He shook his head. "Okay. I'm gonna refill some water in case you need some more, and then I'm gonna be at the windows with Danny and Smithson. Just say a word if you need anything, okay?"

He nodded again.

I looked over to Edward, and then Nessie before leaving the room. Martie followed to wash his hands. When we came back, Edward was walking in the hall with a little girl holding his hand.

"Look at him," a nurse muttered to her colleague, "he's totally gorgeous. Can you believe he's 17?"

The nurses glanced at him in astonishment, mumbling about his god-like looks, thinking he couldn't hear. I got a few comments, too, but half of them referred to my bulky body. They were nice compliments, if I didn't keep finding them annoyingly uncomfortable.

When I went back into the room, a male nurse was talking with Nessie while pressing a cold compress on a kid's forehead. He didn't pay as much attention to the kid as he should.

And he was making Nessie grin.

A torch burst in my chest, but I immediately quenched it down to my stomach. As uncomfortable as it was to watch another guy talk to my Nessie, the important thing was that she was having a good time. And hurting someone for just my jealousy wasn't worth the trouble.

"Excuse me," Edward alerted as he walked past us and shot a proud grin at me.

Martie left for his set of kids, and I went to mine who were playing with a bucket of legos near the windows. She turned in my direction as I walked past her and shot a grin at me. And I melted.

I knelt beside the table to help the kids pick out pieces as they built their spaceships.

My heightened ears were half-paying attention to their conversation.

"It's nice of you to volunteer for the kids," the male nurse commented.

There was an excited tone to his voice.

"Yeah, I figured I could do some good for some people," Nessie replied. "At least they should have someone to care for them. With their families away and all."

"Right."

A moment of silence. A kid demanded a rectangular blue piece.

"Would you like to, uh, go for coffee with me... sometime?" he asked.

I gasped quietly. He was asking my Nessie out? I never thought that any other boys would be interested in her that way.

She answered. "Sure, I'd like that. But I gotta wait for my boyfriend. He's volunteering here at the hospital, too."

"_Boyfriend_?"

"Yeah, he's right over there."

I looked over my shoulders to them and flashed my smiling teeth at them; partly because I was happily relieved that my Nessie wasn't interested in any other guy than me, and partly because I wanted to shove away that flirting nurse. She flashed her own smile at me.

The shining curls and the chocolate eyes embedded on her perfect face made her smile shine brightly. Like a bright star shining over me, bathing my every fiber in its radiance. I was buried in that light.

"Jacob, I think Smithson wants a red piece," she called, breaking my trance.

I found and gave the piece to Smithson and apologized because I didn't hear when he talked. I wasn't sorry for looking at my girlfriend, though.

The nurse had a short conversation with Nessie, and then he left for _other_ business. Hopefully he wouldn't come back for the rest of the day.

Every now and then, I gazed at her. And she would gaze at me when she wasn't too busy. Edward occasionally sent me grinning glances that intrepreted _"Stop staring at my daughter already and focus"_.

**Renesmee**

"Hey, babe, how was it today at the hospital?" Uncle Emmett asked Aunt Rosalie when we got back.

"Great," she replied with giddiness and kissed his lips, then she continued. "They loved me combing their hair. Alice told them stories, and Bella kept them entertained with circus tricks."

Uncle Emmett looked at Mom with wide eyes- "And here I thought you didn't like showing off." Then to Aunt Rosalie again. "Did she slip?"

"One more clumzy crack on my wife and I swear I will tear off your mouth, Emmett," Dad threatened with a non-threatening tone as he put his arm around Mom's shoulders. She didn't look bothered by Uncle Emmett's jokes.

"I'll help you keep him grounded," Jacob whispered in his ear.

It was then I said, "Me, too."

"All right, break it up," Grandma called from the kitchen, her voice demanding.

I hung up my coat and dragged Jake into the living room and voice-activated the TV. "Gossip Girl" was re-running its first season.

"So how did it feel?" I asked without looking at him.

He turned in my direction. "How did what feel?"

I slowly turned to him with a teasing expression. "How did it feel when I called you my boyfriend?"

A laugh burst through his throat out of his mouth, echoing through the house. He stopped after a moment and looked at me with my favorite gleaming smile.

"I loved it."

I found myself smiling now. Loving it too.

When the show went to commercials, an advertisement reminded that there were only 2 days left before Christmas.

I thought back to the kids at the hospital. Though they were happier to have us play with them, I couldn't help feeling that there was still something missing. Something fitting to the holiday and would be able to cheer them up indefinitely. I wish there was something to try, to bring them some amount of Christmas cheer.

Then it hit me. An idea that seemed intriguing enough to my taste, and definitely good enough to make the kids happy. The only problem was to proceed it perfectly and without too much notice.

Dad entered the living room and gave me a reluctant frown.

Jacob hadn't missed it.

"What?" he asked.

He didn't answer. Instead his frown slowly lit up to a grin.

**Emmett**

"Are you ready?" Nessie asked Thomas while putting on the elf hat.

He shrugged uneasily. "This is ridiculous, and you're insane. What were you thinking exactly?"

"Making a small miracle, that's what."

_Oh, this is gonna be good._

Jasper and Carlisle adjusted the gift sacks on their shoulders. Esme helped carry Martie's, because it was _too heavy_ for him. Every now and then, she would wink at Carlisle and scan his Santa Claus outfit.

Bella and Edward emerged from the playroom, which was already echoing games and laughs of kids.

"It's almost time," Bella informed.

"Sweet," I said excitedly.

I was totally washed over by excitement. Can't wait to get started. Man, it was so nice of Nessie to let her Uncle Emmett in on the show. I would've petrified like a statue forever if she didn't invite me.

"Okay, don't show off too much, Em," Edward warned. "We gotta keep it simple until the magician pulls the rabbit out of the hat." His eyes flickered to the room for a fraction of a second. "And for Santa Claus -" He flickered to Carlisle. "- to give out the gifts."

My fingers twitched anxiously on both sides of my pants. The scents of sweet air filled my lifeless lungs (thank goodness I hunted earlier today). I can't wait to get started. And I will be the first performer!

Edward went back inside to join Alice and the kids with the card-guessing games. They were playing a couple of psychics; one can read people's thoughts, and another can see people's future. The kids were quite fascinated with how often they guessed right with the cards they were holding. When the games stopped, Rosalie called for us, minus Carlisle, Jasper and Martie. Esme handed back the sack as she followed us in. I grabbed my bag of tools and took a quick peak into the mirror at the end of the hall, making sure that my red and green elf costume wasn't out of place, and then followed them into the playroom. Edward, Jacob and Alice sat across the room in a triangular formation with one or two kids sitting on their laps. Jake waved at Nessie with adoring eyesight. What a sick dog.

Some of the kids shivered when they saw me, one of them gripped tightly on Edward's green elf costume. Silly that they would find me scary. Would've been amusing if it was a thug who saw me instead. In fact, I would be pleased to frighten them. But I knew that children shouldn't feel scared about anything. I'm going to have to smile and be _very_ kind to make them feel more comfortable.

Rosalie shot a dazzling smile in my direction, those gleamy golden eyes and that radiant angelic costume melted my frozen core. Then she turned her attention back to the kids as I stood near a wall and put my bag against the table leg. Nessie, Esme and Bella positioned themselves behind me.

I quickly pulled out all my tools and set them on the table.

"Now, kids, say hello to Emmett," she said to the kids. "He's going to do some bouncing and balancing. And in the mean time, my mom, Esme, and my sisters, Bella and Renesmee, will be singing to fill the room with music. And when Emmett's done, we will have a magician take us to meet Santa Claus!"

They broke into cheers at the mention of Santa Claus. Typical kids - hungry for Christmas gifts and the one person to deliver them.

"Okay, let's begin," she started.

She leaned up and kissed my cheek, and then went to the piano and pressed her beautiful fingers on the keyboard, playing "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" in a tune that was both child-loving and beautiful.

I smiled friendly at the little crowd and began picking up the juggling balls. Bella, Nessie and Esme started singing when I tossed the first ball up in the air. My eyes steered clear of my balls' movements as I juggled them too _slowly_. When the song started picking up its next verse, I started bouncing the balls with only my left hand and picked up three juggle pins with the other. I juggled the balls and pins with each hand and kept them perfectly balanced, with little strength exerted from my fingers. It was then I started to realize Thomas's enjoyment of playing circus tricks and experimenting with his skills, because even though I had been a vampire longer than he had, I'd only tested my capabilities in their most basic ways. But he always came up with new methods to test his balance, durability, physicality and powers. It wasn't only interesting, but fun as well.

I sped up and turned my hands and fingers about 35 degrees to each other, sending the balls and pins flying together.

My hands were moving so fast that it was probably hard for human eyes to see now. Yet the audience laughed and clapped. Their eyes focused on me, almost like they had seen the biggest and most beautiful candy collection in a local store.

The song turned near its ending melody. And as much as I didn't want to stop, I knew it was time.

_Edward, catch,_ I thought to him and threw some balls and pins to him and Alice, knowing she would see it coming. They rose from their seats and opened their hands just as the tools threw into them. And the song ended.

I quickly brought out the yellow and red apples and threw them agilely into each kid's hand, slowly and nicely. For them.

They clapped and cheered even louder. Their laughter filling the whole room. I smiled and bowed. Proud was filling my core.

"Now let's say "thank you" to Emmett for the show and the apples," my Rosalie asked nicely.

"THANK YOU, EMMETT!" they said loudly.

"Aw, you're very welcome, and Merry Christmas to all of you," I replied. I never realized it would be this much fun to perform and entertain children. That sure as hell was fun and satisfying. Satisfying because I have brought laughter to the kids.

**Thomas**

Emmett picked up his bag and went to Rosalie's side by the piano. She rose from the seat and gave him a kiss before turning her attention back to the kids.

"So, did you enjoy it?" she asked. Her answer was a loud shriek of cheering that covered the whole room. "Then you wouldn't mind seeing what our magician can do, would you?" she went on.

They cheered again.

Rosalie glanced at me over her shoulder. This was my cue.

I walked to the table, thanked Rosalie and greeted the kids. I pulled down my elf hat and held it up front, showing the hollow inside, then sent pushed it out through the hole.

When I was done, the show began. Nessie, Bella and Esme started singing "Jingle Bells" while Rosalie played the piano. I concentrated on feeling what wasn't in my hand and imagining that it was. Then my hand started feeling dusty. I pulled out and thrusted my arm forward, releasing my fingers. A fraction of my mind concentrated on expanding the glittering dust as it expanded, and then turning it into small patterned snowflakes. The kids giggled as the snow showered upon them. Some of them caught the flakes in their hands and observed its beauty as it flowed over their palms rather than land on them and melt. Edward and Alice smiled with their wide, dashing teeth. The song came to its final verse.

"Okay," I muttered and then said out loud to the kids. "Now I'm gonna take you to see Santa, okay?"

"YAAAAAY!"

They shrieked so loud I had to speak louder for them to hear me. Their hearing wasn't as sharp as mine.

"But first, I need you to close your eyes. Because I cannot take you up on a sleight and fly to his home, so I'm gonna take you to him with a little magic. All you need to do is close your eyes and stay closed until I tell you to open, can you do that for me? Can you do that for Santa?"

"Yeah," they agreed wholeheartedly. My, kids sure were easy to like someone if you knew the trick.

"Okay, then let's do it. And no peaking."

They did as instructed just as "Jingle Bells" began anew. I closed my eyes and concentrated on seeing a new environment. I could see it; an open town with a two-stored high Christmas tree in the center. Red and yellow houses made of ginger breads and candy, covered in multi-colored lights and snow. And the scenery wasn't lifeless. I imagined happy-colored elves, self-moving snowmen and tiny snow fairies associated with penguins and polar bears as pets. To make sure that the kids would not start running around, I created a quadrangular fence around us.

I spread my focus to Carlisle, Martie and Jasper's hearing without opening my eyes. _I'm almost done, guys. Wait for my cue._

Then I imagined the door to the hallway as the entrance of the gingerbread city hall - Santa Claus's office. Larger and brighter than any gingerbread house in my imagination. The snow globes sang along with Esme, Nessie and Bella, picking up "We Wish You A Merry Christmas".

I opened my eyes and told the kids, "Okay, you can open your eyes now."

They opened slowly, and then they were astounded, completely enchanted by my magic. Their mouths opened in awe as they took in their surroundings, but no words escaped. My elves, snowmen and penguins all waved at them. They waved back and tried to reach for them, but the fence prevented them from leaving the area. Edward and Alice comfortable those who wanted to climb through, telling them that they had to stay inside the fence when Santa came out and when we got home. I added one more contribution; a shower of snowflakes.

The song ended.

"All right, kids," I practically screamed to get their attention. "Are you ready to see Santa Claus?"

"YEAAAH!"

"Good," I approved, and went on, "But after he hands out his presents, we have to go home. And his townsfolk are worried that their home will be exposed, that's why we cannot tell anybody about what we saw in Santa Claus's town."

"Why won't Santa let others know where he lives?" David asked curiously.

"Because Santa is someone that you need to believe in when you don't see him. That's the whole point of Christmas, to believe in something when you don't see it. He's only letting you see him this time because he is sad that you are not having a good Christmas, that's why he's decided to make an exception today. But his home has to be kept secret so that he can continue to spread joy to the world. So what do you say? You will help him?"

"YES!" the kids agreed while nodding.

"Okay, then let us say hello to Santa." _All right! Martie, Carlisle, Jasper, you're on!_

Carlisle exited the main door, and then Jasper and Martie followed. Martie was stunned at what he was seeing, completely taken by the illusion. Jasper noticed his amazement and forcefully dragged him by the hand.

"Ho-ho-ho, Merry Christmas!" Carlisle imitated Santa's elderly voice as he waved.

The kids cheered enthusiastically at the sight of Santa.

He came to my side and gave Esme a quick wink before turning his attention back to the kids. "Well, what have we here? If it ain't the lovely little children from Cloverdale Hospital. Well, let's begin spreading the gifts. After all, you need to get back before someone finds you missing."

They agreed with a nod. Carlisle opened his sack and started picking out a gift. When he took one, he read the tag and asked. "Which one is you little fellows is Greta?"

A little girl in the middle of the crowd raised her hand and screamed, "I am! I am !"

He went closer to her side, stopped a few feet away and tossed the little present to Alice, who was standing closest to her. She caught it in her hand and gave it to Greta, who unwrapped it in anticipation. The gift was a blue box containing a little snowglobe with a deer and a Santa Claus figure.

"Thank you, Santa!" she said gratefully.

And so the pattern continued. When his sack ran out of gifts, Jasper gave him his; and when that ran out, too, Martie gave his. And then everyone had a gift. Every gift was what they had secretly wanted when Rosalie and Alice played a wishing game with them yesterday and had Eddie listen to their thoughts to find out what they wanted for Christmas. One of the kids asked Santa why he was given a gift when he'd been naughty; I answered that one for him. "Because everyone deserves a second chance. And Santa wants to give you that chance."

**Jasper**

The atmosphere was purely of joy and happiness. Warmth in the hearts of the children. And I was feeling it, too. After the gifts were given out, it was time for the charade to end.

"Let's all sing together this time, okay?" Thomas suggested.

"Why?" one of the kids asked.

"Because the best way to bring Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear."

"But I can't sing," a little girl said.

"That's not a problem."

Carlisle took over. "What's important is not how well you sing, but how you sing together. How it makes you happy when you sing with others."

The little girl's mood changed a little swiftly. I was glad for her sake.

"Okay, then let's say goodbye to Santa and then we'll close our eyes again and sing "Silent Night" together, all right?" Thomas said.

"Bye-bye, Santa!" the kids exclaimed.

"Bye-bye," Carlisle said in his ever kind voice.

Everyone closed their eyes, minus the rest of us. Thomas quickly waved his hand in our direction, signaling us to leave the room. Carlisle, Martie and I went through the door and into the hospital hallway just as the song began. I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes to listen. The voices were somewhat off-key, but the radiant emotions emitted from the singers were impossible to cloud. I allowed myself to drown in them.

_"Silent night, holy night"_

_"All is calm, all is bright"_

_"Round yon Virgin Mother and Child"_

_"Holy infant so tender and mild"_

_"Sleep in heavenly peace. Sleep in heavenly peace"_

_"Silent night, holy night"_

_"Son of God, love's pure light"_

_"Radiant beams from Thy holy face"_

_"With the dawn of redeeming grace"_

_"Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth"_

_"Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth"_

A voice appeared next to my ears as it sang along in silence. I recognized it as my own.

_"Silent night, holy night"_

_"Shepherds quake at the sight"_

_"Glories stream from heaven afar"_

_"Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!"_

_"Christ, the Savior is born"_

_"Christ, the Savior is born"_

When I resurfaced, it was impossible to tell how joyful I still was. Aside from my own happy feelings, I was flooded with overwhelming joy and pure happiness from the kids and my own family, all of them reflecting in my heart. I was suddenly so happy to be in such close proximity to these harmless, fragile little humans. Their way of thinking was simple. And so were their feelings.

The walls echoed screams and laughter as the kids released their emotions into the atmosphere.

"You're smiling," Martie commented as he noticed my suddenly happiness. There wasn't curiosity in his question, just anticipation.

"Yes. Yes, I am," I admitted with a huge smile on my face. Alice was the first to exit the room, and she looked at me with a huge smile across her face. Her happy feelings sent another strong vibe into my already flooded heart. I couldn't even word the feelings right. There was only one word to describe how she and the others were making me feel. _Wow._ Just _wow_.

My smile grew bigger, showing my teeth.


	26. Gifts

**CHAPTER 26 - GIFTS**

_**Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Jacob<strong>

We departed for the Cullen house after 9:30. Martie walked home to celebrate with his family. All the kids were endlessly happy when we left. They even wished us Merry Christmas and believed that Santa Claus.

It seemed really silly, though.

"That's the point," Tommy said when I expressed myself. "Kids are supposed to be silly. That's what makes them cute and innocent."

I snorted. Yeah, there really was no disagreement to that fact. I was like that. Nessie was like that, too, in some ways. She was more mature than any child I'd ever known, but there always had been some amount of immaturity about her. And also part of what I loved about her. Her intelligence, her beauty, her playfulness, even her capabilities. It all drew me to her like magnet. The first time she danced at three weeks old, I'd clapped for her perfect balance and graceful moves. Of course I was also worried, since we did not know how she was going to develop before the other half-vampire Nahuel appeared and explained the development of hybrids.

And she'd become this most wonderful creature there ever existed. Born from a vampire family that I'd grown so fond of - not that I liked all of them very much. Other than Rosalie, the rest were actually quite acceptable.

It started to snow again on the way. The traffic lights reflected on the ground and the sky almost as bright as daylight. Even the clouds reflected the illumination.

We were outside of town in lesser than minutes, but the bright sky still hovered over us. Nessie, Bella, Edward and I didn't share a single word, though we could hear Alice and Rosalie discussing Christmas wardrobe in their separate cars, and Emmett sharing his thrill of satisfying the kids tonight with Esme and Carlisle. Tommy was mostly humming to himself, but otherwise said nothing. None of them talked about "the" gift, which I was grateful to. It was going to be a surprise to Nessie, so if some of them slipped a word, then she would have an idea of what it could be, and the whole surprise would be blown. Edward flickered to the mirror, his smiling eyes focused on me for a second.

When we arrived, Alice was the first to rush through the door and turn on the lights, brightening up the starry abyss. The house was covered in wires of lightbulbs and shiny Christmas decorations in a matter of seconds. Inside, I could hear the stereo playing the first note of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town".

"Here it goes again," Edward murmured, no sarcasm in his tone.

Alice appeared at the door again with an eager smile rearing her face.

"It's party time," she exclaimed enthusiastically.

We paced into the house in no hurry. Lights had covered the whole place, and made the inside almost as bright as day. We removed our shoes and continued into the living room. In the center was a six feet tall Christmas tree, standing in front of the couches and armchairs that surrounded it. Presents of different sizes laid spread everywhere around its foot.

Since none other than Nessie and I ate, which we already did at the hospital, there was no necessity for cooking dinner. So we moved directly to opening presents.

Bella showed an unappreciative grin as Edward showed her his gift. But his present was not as frightening as Alice's the way it'd always been. After all, how can a book called _Bombingham_ be any more frightening than an aquamarine skirt that came with silver shoes, crystal accessories and cosmetics? None of that was really life-threatening, but it _was_ to _her_. Thank God that Tommy had promised to never bring her any more gifts after his first Christmas with the family.

Nessie got a newly developed iPad from Edward; a pair of white hair clips from Esme and Carlisle; a clear white dress from Alice; a set of boxing equipment from Emmett; a double-package of DVDs from Jasper; an all-out collection of _Charmed_ from Tommy. Martie gave her a book on Christmas stories before they left the hospital.

But Bella's gift was the most shocking of all: a round-trip airline ticket to Florida.

"A reserved airline ticket to Florida?" Nessie wondered, a little shocked.

"You've always wanted to meet your grandmother, right? I can't see her anymore, but I figured now that you're old enough, you should at least get the chance to meet her once."

She looked at Bella with watery eyes and embraced her.

"Thank you, Mom," she whispered.

"You're welcome, Sweetheart," she whispered back.

I was smiling for her sake. She'd never had the chance to meet her grandmother, and since Bella was a vampire now, she couldn't exactly come out to her mother about it. Her dad only knew because I phased in front of him 7 years ago, and that was a plot to make Nessie and her family stay in Forks for a while longer. Charlie was tough. But from the way Bella described her mother, she was the opposite kind of person. If she found out that her daughter had become a vampire and that she had a fully grown 7-year-old granddaughter, she would not only be in constant danger, but a powerful impact of heart attack would certainly be on the way.

Rosalie handed her gift, then. It was a little box containing a set of keys.

"You bought me a Chevrolet Volt?" Nessie said, surprised.

She nodded. "Clear blue and fast."

Man, they really do love driving fast.

I got a nervous when she found my tiny box under the trees. It wasn't like I got the best of presents. In fact, it was probably worse than any of theirs.

"What's this?" she wondered and turned to look at me over her shoulder.

I breathed nervously and replied. "You'll find out when you open it."

She unwrapped the paper and opened the tiny box, and then looked back at me with the keys in her hand. "Another car?"

_Might as well show her,_ I thought and looked to Edward. He gave me an approving nod.

I took her hand and gently guided her out of the house to the garage. The others followed. Someone opened the doors with a remote when we were 3 feet away. Edward, probably. Nessie scanned through the garage to look for any vehicle that looked unfamiliar - other than the Chev, I doubted that she saw anything.

She looked to me and asked. "Where is it?"

I guided her into the garage, crossed the labyrinth of cars and reached Jasper's Ducati. Behind it hid the green 92 Suzuki.

"There it is," I pointed.

Her eyes grew wide. "Is that a 92 Suzuki GSX?" she asked.

"Yeah," I answered with a nod, and then asked. "But I couldn't afford a new one, so this one here is second-handed. I bought it from some kid at school for a nice compromise. I-is it too outdated? I could give it back if..."

She pursed my lips with a finger, then opened her hand and showed me the bike. Her lips pulled up into a wide smile.

"You love it?"

She nodded. I opened my arms and embraced her.

"Thanks, Jake," she whispered.

"You're welcome."

She pulled away and said, "I'll be right back." And then, she blurred into the house and back again in 5 seconds with her arms filled with gifts of different sizes. In a fraction of a second, she threw them across the garage into her family's open hands. When she turned to me again, her hand was holding a tiny box. But then her eyes pierced into mine and I forgot all about it in an instant; I saw me in the reflection of her irises. It was like I was engraved in her gleaming brown eyes.

"Are you going to open your present, Jake, or are you going to continue staring into my daughter?" Bella asked teasingly, snapping me out of my trance.

Nessie looked at her for a second, and then approached and handed the box to me. Inside stored a silver pendant in the form of a little wolf. The light in the garage reflected on it like a diamond. The carving was perfectly synchronized with the luminous silver.

I looked to Nessie again, my smile grew wider.

"It's really pretty, thank you," I thanked her.

Her smile wider. "It comes with this," she added and fished up a long, thick and elastic cord - probably half a double of my neck's size - from her pocket. "It's very elastic, so you probably won't be able to get red of it even if you phased."

With that, she took the pendant and sent it through the rope, and then held either end with one of her hands. I lowered my body as she ran her arms around my neck. Her warm skin brushed across mine with a feeling that sent a tingle to my core. She was done in a sec.

I deliberately held up the pendant and examined the miniature wolf. It was definitely different, but it somehow reminded me of the mini-wolf that I carved for Bella's graduation years ago. I looked at Bella for a short moment with the corner of my eyes and saw my bracelet still around her pale wrist. It had a different significance back then, but now it was purely of family and friendship - nothing will ever change me from the way I feel about Renesmee Cullen.

I looked at her again and sincerely said. "Thank you, I absolutely love it."

She snorted. "Good, 'cause I was worried that maybe I got you the wrong gift."

I thrusted my arms to hug her. Someone cleared a throat when we weren't releasing.

"Hey, I have a question," she murmured in my chest, and went on. "How did you afford to pay for the bike?"

I released her to explain. "Well, as I said before, I compromised. I paid half the amount with the money I saved up from last summer, and the rest I'll be paying back next semester when I start working part-time at the local auto shop."

She looked at me with a surprised and somewhat sad expression. Have I disappointed her? Did I hurt her by deciding to work? She released a sigh and said. "I guess we'll be seeing less of each other."

I lifted her chin to look at her with all my sincere heart. "I'll still go to school with you. And I will come by every day after my shift, I promise. You can count on me."

Her frown lifted up to a grin, and then she touched me to show a picture of me and her and the other Cullens: a family.

I smiled widely.

The others smiled with us.

"All right, then let's have something unique for tonight," Tommy suggested with a large grin on his face.

"Do you really think this is a good idea, Thomas?" Edward asked, though he was smiling too.

He gave him a look and then turned to the open sky. For a moment, there was nothing. But then, a shooting star flew across the horizons in a slow pace; its tail dropped millions of golden dust over the sky like fireflies.

We walked out of the garage to observe the scene when the dust flowed closer to the ground. The house, the forest and the garage were all surrounded by the starry sprinkles. Nessie, Bella and Rosalie held out their hands and caught the glittering stardust before it disappeared.

"Well done, Thomas," Jasper complimented.

He gave him a grin and said. "I think the civilians will be confused tomorrow when they realize the sprinkling shooting star wasn't seen on the newspaper."

_What does he mean by that, Edward,_ I thought.

"He's spreading a wide illusion over to the next five miles," he answered.

"Don't worry, only those outside or near the windows will be able to see it."

I certainly did not care. The scenery was too beautiful to cause any worry, and what could this kind of occasion cause to the newspaper? It wasn't like anyone would know that it was the work of one of the Cullens.

Nessie wrapped her arms around my waist, showing what we were already seeing. I opened my palm to catch a star-shaped glitter as it landed in my hand.

"Merry Christmas," I whispered.


	27. Sparks, Fireworks and Beacons

**CHAPTER 27 - SPARKS, FIREWORKS AND BEACONS**

_**Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Renesmee<strong>

Here we were. The New Year Festival in downtown Cloverdale. Lights were already lit by the time we got there. The streets were swarming with townsfolk by the time we arrived. Driving a battery-motivated Chevrolet through town would draw too much attention to myself, so I borrowed Aunt Rosalie's BMW instead. She complied very easily - I'd always been her favorite, other than Uncle Emmett. I followed Dad's Volvo into a parking lot behind the Blacktail Coffee Shop.

After we parked the cars, the first thing I did was step out of my vehicle and send my sight across the crowding streets, looking for a specific face. There weren't many people around the area, so it shouldn't be too hard to discriminate a tall, black haired, tan-skinned guy. My sight were able to discriminate the differences between people's builds, heights, skin and hair colors. I sniffed, and his scent flushed through my nose. He was definitely here.

Mom and Dad came to my side, both took either of my hands.

"Come on, let's go find Jacob," Mom said with a gentle smile.

Aunt Rosalie placed her cold arm on my shoulder and pushed me toward the crowd. People were babbling about the "stars that showered the town", but about their inability to understand why the photos or recorded videos were unable to capture the phenomenon. Apparently someone had called CNN, and they were unaware of the shooting star shower that occured in the small town. Thank Tommy for making the impossible possible. At least Cloverdale was too small a town to capture any real attention from the authorities or the National Times. He had joked about doing a re-run for the occasion, but he knew better than to flaunt around with his power.

I scanned through the crowd with my heightened eyes, but it was hard to see with so many people gathered. Then I started sniffing again. Snow, freezing water in the air, animal pee, blood - slightly tempting - and his scent flowed in.

Dad patted my back, interrupting my focus. He grinned at me gently.

"He's at the end of the street," he said and pointed forward, just as Martie made his way through the crowd to us.

"Nessie, hey," he greeted and turned to the others. "Edward, Bella, Rosalie, Alice, Jasper, Emmett. But where's Thomas?"

"He doesn't really like crowd, so he's keeping to himself in the woods," Aunt Alice answered a little ruefully.

"Oh, don't wanna make another co-motion after the star shower, eh?" I snorted. Why did I tell him about the shower being Tommy's doing? I was glad that he wasn't here to hear this. He really loathed people making fun of him.

He looked over us for something, and then asked. "Where's Jake?"

Dad pointed to the same direction again. Martie turned his head around.

I saw him, then. In a thick black coat, smiling ever so handsome and utterly cheerful. Brown eyes shined clearly through the crowded people and traffic lights, accompanied by the shiny black hair strings reflecting the lights. He looked like a black-haired god. Hugely built with a handsome face and a cheerful attitude, which worked almost like a raw power.

"You better go over before someone drags your god away, then," Dad urged me in a teasing tone.

I heard Mom punch his collarbone. "Edward," she warned him.

I pushed past the crowd - always careful not to exert too much strength - to Jacob. He opened his arms as I ran into them.

I shrugged out of those big, strong and warm arms to touch his chin and show him how much I'd missed him all day. His smile grew larger, showing his teeth.

"I missed you, too," he murmured.

Mom, Dad, Martie, Aunt Rosalie and Uncle Emmett came to our side then. Aunt Alice and Uncle Jasper were a few feet behind.

Martie handed a sparkler to each of us when Grandma and Grandpa showed up. Everyone, except Aunt Rosalie, accepted. But that wasn't what surprised me.

"Do you have one more, Martie?" Aunt Alice asked with a sudden edge of enthusiasm in her voice.

"Don't you have one already, Alice?" he wondered, but handed one to her.

Jake and I looked at her for a moment, then we both turned to Dad. He was smiling, too. Mom hadn't missed his enthusiastic grin, either.

"What is it?" she asked.

He turned to look at her sheepishly and answered. "It seems Thomas has decided to join the party after all."

"What?" When's he coming?" I asked, surprised.

"Give me a second," Aunt Alice proposed, and her eyes went blank for a short moment. "In about 2 minutes."

I looked around the area, spotting for Tommy.

"Look at her, all excited just by hearing little Uncle Tommy's coming," I heard Uncle Emmett complain. "Not knowing how much she'd neglected her other favorite uncle."

I turned to him, surprised at what he'd brought up. Then again, maybe he was right. Aside from my parents, Jake, Aunt Rosalie and Aunt Alice, Tommy was really my favorite uncle. That did not mean I was neglecting Uncle Emmett, though. He was fun to be around, of course, and I loved hanging out with him, but his love for embarrassing people was such a drag that mostly repulsed me.

"Tell you what," I told him. "If you stop making embarrassing jokes, I'll hang out with you more."

He snorted. "Yeah, right. Like that's gonna happen."

Aunt Alice ended our conversation. "Okay, he'll be here in 10 seconds. Wait here, I will find go him." Then she walked away from us with Uncle Jasper. They came back just when we started litting the sparklers.

"So glad you could make it, Tommy," I said.

He gave me a gentle smile, but said nothing. Then a voice appeared in my head. _I guessed this annual New Year thing is better to celebrate with people around you than by yourself in the woods. _I giggled.

Mom and Dad wrapped their arms around me and Jake when the reversed counting started with 10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2.

1.

Fireworks of multiple colors and patterns erupted over us, making the nightsky half as bright as day. It wasn't nearly as bright and mesmerizing as Tommy's 'shooting stars', but that wasn't what made me happy. I was happy because I was being wrapped, all safe and sound in Jacob's warm arms, surrounded by the family that I was born into. My parents who loved me as much as I loved them; three uncles who were fun and comfortable to be around; two aunts who adored me; two grandparents who not only loved me as much as they loved the others, but also held the family together; and my best human friend, who was fully aware of my family identities, and yet fully accepts me for what I am, and for who I am.

I was all wrapped up in happiness. The fireworks were like beacons to my feelings. Beacons to a new year that waited ahead. I looked forward to it.


	28. Celebrations

**CHAPTER 28 - CELEBRATIONS**

_**Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Jacob<strong>

I hammered the bumper. Usually, I would've preferred to hammer with the side of my fist, but this wasn't anything that someone would expect to see at an auto shop. Nope. They would be expecting someone to hammer metals with their fists only if they were going to the circus. I had to watch my strength.

"Nice job, kid," Ardin, the owner and my new boss, commented. "You really got mad skills."

"Thank you," I replied.

"I gotta say, you looks like you've been working years on this."

I smiled, because I knew it was true: I'd had a decade and a half to work on my skills on cars and bikes. I remembered when Bella first looked me up - months after Edward skipped town - and asked me to rebuild a couple of busted up motorcycles that cost more to fix than they were worth. And it didn't take long before they were as good as new again. The memory almost made me smile.

"You're correct."

My focus was interrupted by a sudden propelling force that drew me to the open gate. I knew what it was before I looked up, and my already happy mood immediately felt a hundred times better. She appeared around the corner, and smiled widely as soon as she saw me and started walking a little faster. Just a little bit. I waited impatiently for her to come to my side.

"Hi," she greeted.

The sound of her voice pealed like opening music to my ears.

"Hi," I greeted back.

Our eyes melted in each other. A smell of delicious food reached my nose, but it wasn't enough to drag away my attention from the goddess. My boss, who I'd forgot was standing right next to me, cleared his throat. I snapped out of my trance.

"Um... uh, Ardin, this is Renesmee," I introduced them. "Nessie, this is the owner of this auto shop, Ardin."

He offered his hand, and she accepted.

"Nice to meet you."

"You, too."

"Okay, gotta go. Don't talk too long, kid." With that, Ardin left to his office, and we were alone.

"Got you a little something," Nessie acknowledged and held up a plastic bag where the sweet smell came from.

"What is that?" I asked.

"Dinner. I remember you weren't gonna take off until six, and it takes a long time to get to your house, so I decided I might as well bring you something to eat." She said this as she handed it to me. I inhaled the warm, sweet and delicious smell. It wasn't hard to smell the burning vampire scent, though. Esme's.

"Wow, thank you. And thank Esme for me, too."

She pursed her lips for a short moment. "Um... actually, it wasn't Grandma who cooked it."

Not Esme? Then who? I inhaled again. Aside from Esme, there really wasn't any other scent. Not Bella or Edward. Tommy liked food, but he couldn't cook. I remembered Carlisle was busy at the hospital today. Alice was more favorable in the fashion department, and there was no way Emmett and Jasper would cook. Obviously, I could count out Rosalie treating me with any hospitality. It occured to me, then. There was a more dominant scent from the fragrance. Nessie's. I must've missed it because she was the one delivering it. I looked at her sheepishly and asked. "You?"

She pushed her lips deeper into her mouth to hide her embarrassment, though the pride in her eyes were very obvious. I was instantly touched to the core. It was the first time she'd cooked for me. "Thank you."

Her lips revealed themselves again, showing the gleaming teeth behind them. Beautiful, mesmerizing, and graceful. Surely there was no way to find anything more symmetrical in this universe than this creature.

"So how's your day so far?" she asked me.

"Good, I'm already fitting right in with the others," I replied quickly and added. "Better than those snobs at school!"

She laughed, and then fell into silence again. Her mouth twitched and moved, as if she wanted to say something more. After a few seconds passed, she finally did. "So, your birthday's 2 days away, do you have any plans?"

"In other words, you wanna celebrate with me, but don't know if I've made plans already," I teased.

We laughed together this time. Her laughter lifted my spirits like litting a candle. It was hard to concentrate on talking properly.

"I don't have any plans," I confessed, composing my laughter.

"Ah, okay, then you won't mind spending it with me," she said.

I shook my head.

"Okay." Her eyes flickered to the other co-worker, Marco, who was staring at us. "Then it's settled. I-I should probably... let you get back to work now."

I fought a frown. "Yeah, I guess so. I'll see you later."

"Yeah, of course."

She started walking toward the gate, away from me. The gravitational pull dissipated as the distance grew between us; it was easy to withstand, but it felt _wrong_. I wanted to be by her side.

I composed my frown and placed the food bag to the side before I starting working on the bumper again.

The phone rang when I got home.

"Hello?" I greeted after pressing the connect-button.

_"Hi, Jake,"_ Leah's voice greeted on the other end.

"Leah! Hi, how's life been? Better?"

_"Better than you think."_ There was a nervous edge in her tone, but it did not come from sarcasm. More like excitement.

Then she said more slowly.

_"I think I've imprinted."_

I froze. Who? How did this happen? When did this happen? This was huge news. I've been imprinted on Nessie for 7 years, but this was great news for Leah. She had always wanted someone in her life to make her forget about Sam and help make her life easier.

"Wow" was all that escaped my mouth.

_"_Wow?_ Is that really all that you have to say?"_

"N-no, of course not. I was just surprised. Who's the lucky guy?"

_"His name's Ben Johnson, he works at a local bar, and he's a musician."_

"Does he know about the, erm...?" I trailed off.

To my surprise, her voice sounded much happier than I remembered._"He does, and he's totally okay with it. He's actually encouraging me to quit again, but also asks alot of questions about being a wolf. Gotta tell ya, never been much of a brag, but..."_

I laughed at her newfound personality. Unfamiliar, totally unlike Leah, but still a good thing - for her.

_"Anyway,"_ she changed the subject. _"How's Renesmee been?"_

"She's great. Doing well in school."

_"So I take that her human friend is accepting to her and her leech-family."_

"Leah," I warned.

She sighed. _"Okay. Anyway, I'm gonna go and take a shower and then go to bed. Just wanted to let you know about this before the others."_

"Okay, then. Bye. - Oh, and Leah!"

_"Yeah?"_

"Congratulations. I really am happy for you."

There was a short pause. _"Thanks."_

Then we disconnected the phone line. I rested on the armchair and enjoyed my happiness for Leah - she deserved someone to make her happy. The same happiness that I have with Renesmee. I ran my fingers through my wolf necklace, feeling its carvings and shape as I thought of her beautiful eyes.

* * *

><p>Nessie had been quite secretive about her plans for my birthday. The only clues that she did expose were that we were going to celebrate in Portland, and neither Alice's fashion department or Tommy's performance will be in the loop. Didn't matter what she planned though, I was content to spend my birthday with her regardless. Although hopefully it wasn't going to be me wearing cosmetics and a crown.<p>

I arrived at 5pm that afternoon, feeling a little nervous by the occasion. Esme was the one who answered the door.

"Hello, Jacob. Happy birthday," she greeted with a sincere smile on her face.

"Thank you, Esme," I replied politely. It was easier to be around Esme now than 7 years ago, when I thought of her as nothing more than just another vampire. I felt guilty for thinking her that way. Someone as lovely and sweet and caring like her deserved better than my rude behavior.

I was greeted and wished happy birthday by everyone, minus Nessie, Rosalie and Tommy, when I got inside the house.

"Happy birthday, Jake," Bella wished as she embraced me. Something about her cold arms sent a shudder to my core, but it wasn't an unpleasant one. The only thing that did bother me was her burning smell.

"Thanks, Bells," I replied. Then I asked another question, which I knew that Edward already knew in my mind. "Where's Nessie?"

"In her room, running some errands on the net."

"She'll be done in a few seconds," Edward interjected.

A loud bump echoed from below, then a whooshing sound followed. I could hear her as she moved in a straight direction until she stopped abruptly and then swung up the stairs.

Long strings of bronze hair blew past her shoulders and collarbone as she stopped below the staircase. Her gleaming chocolate eyes emitted an aura that captured not only my attention, but also somehow locked my eyes where they were. Like my head was bound by some thick leash. I only noticed Rosalie when she appeared inches behind her. She crossed the hall, far too slowly, to my side. So beautiful and so graceful, it was a little hard to keep my breathing in order.

"Hey," she greeted.

"Hey," I greeted back, though it sounded more like a whisper.

She went on. "You ready to go?"

I nodded. For an instant, I didn't even notice the forced smile on her face, until her lips twitched lower a degree. Like she was keeping something from me. The curiosity compelled me to ask.

"It's nothing, Jacob," Edward answered before I could say aloud. "She's just bothered about Thomas."

I turned to him and asked. "What about him?"

Everyone frowned a little bit, not saying anything.

Edward finally answered.

"It's _his_ birthday today, too."

That revelation caught me off guard. Nessie touched my face to show me Tommy's sullen expression for a brief moment.

"He didn't remember that until he checked the date this morning," Bella interjected. "And it made him sad that no one is wishing him happy birthday anymore."

"And for a moment, it brought back some rather painful memories." Edward went on with what he knew. "He got upset, but he didn't want to ruin your day, so he ran off to hunt and celebrate by himself."

I frowned, feeling sorry for the poor guy.

He was forced to be with a vampire family against his will, all because the ones that changed him were also the ones that took his family away. My parents were both dead now, but I still have Nessie and the rest of my family. Bella had Edward and her father, and the Cullens had each other and the Denalis. He had no one else beside us.

I looked at Nessie as a thought came to me. It was not exactly an idea that I would've liked on celebrating my birthday, but there was enough reason to do so. Tommy deserved some happiness within his new family, to feel like he belonged.

Nessie and I turned to each other. Her frown slowly lifted to a light grin, and I reflected. She ran her fingers through my hand to show me her genuine thoughts.

I looked to Alice. "Can you see where he is?"

She shrugged. "Last time I checked, he was 40 miles up north, near Tillamook State Forest."

"I'll take care of your car," Edward offered, smiling now.

I nodded in agreement, and then Nessie met my eyes again.

"Let's go," she said.

We ran out the front door. I slowed a few paces, letting her stride down the porch first and phased mid-jump, blowing apart all my clothes in the process, except the elastic necklace that clung around my neck like a leash. It wasn't enough to choke me though. In fact, the elastic string was more than enough for comfort, well balanced by its size to my paralleled wolf neck.

"Nessie, take these with you," Esme called from the door, and then a fluttering sound flew past my head.

She opened her arms as a pile of large-sized clothes fell into them. "Thanks, Grandma."

Bella, Edward and Carlisle appeared in the hall.

"Have fun, guys," Bella wished.

_Thanks,_ I thought while huffing.

Nessie leaped upon my back and clung her hands agilely to my fur, and fit herself easily between my shoulder blades. I guessed that she had placed the pile of clothes between her arms.

"Let's go," she commanded.

With that, I dashed into the snowy forest like lightning. Tommy's scent brushed through my nose as I darted past the nearby trees. I followed it.

She leaned down to my shoulders.

"Jacob?" she called.

I paid half of my attention to her while focusing on the woods and following Tommy's scent.

"Happy birthday."

I barked a laugh, and roared in happiness. She laughed, too.


	29. Games, Skates and Ice Cream

**CHAPTER 29 - GAMES, SKATES AND ICE-CREAM**

**MESSAGE:**_** A new character is about to be added.**_

_**Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful.**_

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><p><strong>Renesmee<strong>

After we tracked down Tommy, we invited him to join us to Portland. The death rate had already decreased and Aunt Alice confirmed that there weren't any more vampires in the area, so it should be safe. He wasn't pleased with having to be a third wheel though, but I offered to buy him the three-pad video game that he had been eager to try. And then we went straight to Portland, though Tommy had to constantly hide in corners and alleys to avoid daylight. If anyone noticed his shiny skin, it would land on the Oregon Times Newspaper and then our entire family will be forced to move on.

He didn't like it much though.

"Stupid annoying daylight," he complained when we hid in a dark alley, where the tall building had blocked the sunlight from entering. "Told you I should've stayed at the park."

"Oh, don't worry, the sun'll set in an hour," Jake assured him. "We'll get a hoodie and some gloves to hide your skin until then."

"Exactly, and it's only until sunset," I agreed. "After that, you can run to your heart's content - figuratively speaking, of course."

He deliberated for a moment and sighed. "Fine, but we're not gonna hide in the dark places all day. At least go somewhere with tall buildings and without sunlight. After all, you can only have a birthday once per year, right?"

Jake and I turned to each other, grinning at his thoughts. I shrugged.

We hung out at Lloyd Center for the next hour - it wasn't easy to get Tommy inside since the January snow reflected sunlight so much, which we had to conceal him from to avoid notice. Even with winter hats, skating sunglasses, gloves and thick jackets, it was hard to hide the revealing skin that we weren't able to cover.

The center was running a conference for new motion games of 2014. Tommy was eager to try out the hammering game with a huge platform, but he had to remain hidden from the sunlight shining through the ceiling glass windows. So Jake and I filled in for him instead, promising to buy him the game as soon as the platform was on sale. Jake took the first hammer-remote while I took the second one, and we stepped onto the round platform together. I necessarily held the hammer with both of my hands - necessary because it was light enough for me to hold with one hand but had to use both to look like a weak, regular human girl.

The thought of acting human was a dull, but at least I could always be myself at home.

"You cover that side, and I'll cover this side," he pointed with his back touching mine. His heat flared with warmth of the sun.

I winked.

The console beeped and the round began. I immediately focused on my side of the platform. A vibration echoed on the right side of my body when the first plastic creature stuck - _too_ slowly out of its hiding place. I flipped the hammer, which was already held on the right side, and slammed it with as much strength as I could restrain on the target. I tried to focus on the memory of when Tommy broke his game console when he was still learning to control his strength and speed, with little poor progress. I could hear Jake's strength vibrate on the platform as he hit with his hammer when the second vibration echoed on his side.

For the next 59 seconds, people watched in awe and amazement as we made the game's unbeatable record. My senses stayed alerted for the platform's vibrations and swung my hammer reflexively at every plastic creature that stuck out of its hole. Tommy observed from far behind the crowd in anticipation and eagerness, probably wishing that he could be the one playing it. When the time ran out, we were surrounded by hurrays and congratulations.

"Very impressive, never seen anyone been a game like this before," the representative complimented. "Especially you, miss. You kept up very well up there."

"Thank you," I agreed, and then asked something more importantly. "Is this game for sale?"

He nodded. "Of course. And you can get 30% off the sale for an acceptance to the 'Crazy Driving 13' game. The company's newest game production. Completely free of charge, and costs less for the 'Hit It or Lose It'."

"Thanks, but I think my unc - I mean, my brother is the one who's more into racer games. Besides, I prefer to race for real with my boyfriend." I winked to Jacob while saying the word _boyfriend_. He reflected the comment with a handsome smile across his face.

The representative glared at Jacob with a frown for a short moment and then looked away.

Tommy took the game and devices into his arms - we will need a car to keep the packages in if we were to pass as normal teenagers. Tommy and I looked too slim to carry a heavy set of video games, plastic hammers and small platforms.

"Thanks, Nessie," Tommy said sincerely, though also a little rueful. His early miserable mood was completely wiped off his face now.

"Happy birthday, Tommy," I congratulated.

We made small conversations while walking around the mall, waiting for the sun to set. When it finally did, we left with a few additional packages that we'd bought. Aunt Alice was waiting with my blue Chev when we walked out of the door. Uncle Jasper stepped out of her Porsche and walked to our side.

"Thanks for bringing the car, Aunt Alice," I said with gratitude.

"Of course," she replied with a glowing smile. "Gotta pass for normality when you're in a big city, you know. Besides, you did call me to bring you the car."

Uncle Jasper took our packages and Aunt Alice stepped to the side as she opened the backseat door, allowing him to put them inside the car. When he was done, he put his arm on her hip.

"You ready?" he asked.

She flashed a gleaming smile at him.

"What're you up to?" Tommy asked, taking my line.

"We're going hunting with your Mom and Dad and Esme," she explained.

"Oh, well, have fun," Jacob wished them.

They laughed in unison, wished both Jake and Tommy happy birthday and then took off with the Porsche.

I checked the watch. There were 2 hours left before I could give Jacob my present. He noticed my change of expression.

"Are we going somewhere?" he asked. "Didn't the sunlight already ruin half the day's plans?"

"Not entirely," I replied and looked at Tommy.

"Oh, you're having a surprise for me, huh?"

Tommy snorted, partially frustrated by his cleverness. "Do you always have to be the smart guy?"

Jacob nodded while answering. "Pretty much."

I burst into laughs. It was always easy to be happy with Jacob. It was as though he was surrounded by some sort of aura that not only kept him a happy-go-puppy, but also spread joy to those around him. I felt lucky to have him as my boyfriend.

"Come on, there's plenty of time to kill, so I say you two try out the Lloyd Center's ice skating rink while I go book-shopping, and then we go for ice-cream," Tommy suggested.

"Good idea."

I nodded in agreement. Jacob put his arm around my shoulders and we walked back inside.

Jacob taught me the basics of ice skating, even demonstrated, though it was more like showing off than educating. I watched the people around me and memorized the steps. Then, I moved my hips and strode forward, using the back of my feet to push forth. Jacob gleamed as he beheld my moves. "Really good, Nessie. Quite graceful steps."

"Thanks."

He held out his hand, waiting. I accepted, and then he started skating forward, pulling me with him. I wasn't gonna let him lead, though, so I strode past him and quickly changed our positions.

"Whoa!" he chuckled.

We kept our moves steady and easy. Occasionally, we switched positions, letting one of us lead the other. After about 15 minutes or so, Jacob skated behind me and placed one hand on my hip - sending an electrical shock to my skin - while holding my hand with the other. My thoughts melted away like ice meeting fire.

"Let's try this way," he whispered in my ear. "Now, slide forward with your left leg and then the other."

Too mesmerized by his touch to think otherwise, I did as instructed and skated my way forward. His hands never left me. And then my legs moved forward automatically; it was like they had minds of their own, and they were moving in unison with Jacob's. I didn't try to control then, nor did I try to move my way out of his arms. The feeling of his touch was too good to slide out of. I just wanted them where they were.

We skated around the rink, holding each other. I wasn't bored, though. In fact, I was excited to impress him. So I slid out of his arms - my hip felt empty at his release - and danced away from him. My hips, legs and torso worked as one and strode around the ice. Then my leg skidded abruptly to the right, moving my hips and my whole body spun in a circle.

Jacob clapped. When I faced him again, his face was blooming happiness and admiration. I was happy, because in his eyes, I was graceful.

I held out my hand in invitation. He accepted and I pulled him in closer to me.

"Hm, you're quite the charmer, aren't you?" he said.

I giggled. "And also quite possessive."

We started dancing again. Jacob allowed me to take the lead - only because he wasn't half as good at ice skating as me now. Although, he kept up really well. Everytime I spun, he moved with his arms and made it look like he was spinning me.

"What a graceful princess," he muttered under his breath.

I smiled as the world around me faded away. My heart pounded as I took in his beauty, my breathing slowed. Black hair, brown eyes, thick eyebrows and large lips perfectly embedded into his russet skin. He was so breathtakingly handsome. I slowly leaned forward to explore his facial features.

Our lips touched slightly. I pulled back in shock. He looked at me warily, but said nothing. Looking at his face made it harder to stay in place. I felt propelled to kiss him again. To feel his lips on mine and his arms around my body. I gave up with a huff and kissed him again, with some aggression this time. He didn't pull back, though. His lips moved in unison with mine and his arms wrapped around my back.

**Renesmee and Jacob**

The longer we kissed, the more our bodies craved. Flames ignited and engulfed our cores like two magnetic stones pulling toward each other. We were two parts formed as one.

**Renesmee**

"Hey, you two might wanna stop now if you're gonna get ice-cream!" Tommy's voice interrupted our kiss, and we pulled ourselves back. I was still craving, though.

"Come on, lets get outta the rink," he urged.

I grunted quitely. Couldn't he have made a better timing to interrupt?

Jacob patted my shoulder soothingly, his happy grin evident. "Come on."

And that was all it took to make me forget my annoyance.

We left the mall and walked across the street to a nearby ice-cream store that we'd visited a few months back. Jacob opened the door for me like a gentleman. Tommy waited for me to enter first.

"So what flavor do you want?" Jake asked as soon as we walked in.

"No, no, no, you're the birthday boy, so you should get a first," I said.

"I'll take whatever you take."

I rolled my eyes and gave in. "Okay, um... chocolate, strawberry, mango, raspberry, and... Blue Dale."

"Scoop. Coming right up."

He walked to the bar and ordered.

"Hey, Jake, order one for me, too, please," Tommy demanded. "But only chocolate."

Jacob held up a thumb in respond; I wondered why he would want to order ice-cream when his system couldn't take anything edible. Maybe he didn't want to feel left out because Jake was getting ice-cream?

It didn't take long before he came back with all three scoops.

"Thank you," Tommy said as he took his scoop.

"Sam..." an unfamiliar female voice whispered.

Tommy froze and his expression became unreadable. His ice-cream was completely forgotten. Then, he turned slowly to the voice. I followed his glance to a young, black haired Asian girl, who shared the same frozen expression.

"Sam..." she whispered again.


	30. Broken

**CHAPTER 30 - BROKEN**

_**Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Thomas<strong>

"Sam."

The sound of _her_ voice cut through my ears and brought all my hazy human memories to the surface. Memories that I'd been hiding in the darkest depths of my past, where only I could see whenever something triggered it. They were clearer now than before. I could see them; all the times I said I loved her, all the dates we had, all the fun we shared, all the joy we experienced, all the pain one of us embraced to support the other. My active vampire brain wrapped them all. In that instant, they were almost as real as my illusion. She had always been a part of it: a part that I only watched when I was alone, that I didn't want to share with others.

But this _wasn't_ an illusion.

My head turned slowly in the direction of the voice. Slowly, because I was too afraid of what I will see. And I saw her.

June.

Her face was just as I remembered. Thin, pale lips with heart-shaped cheekbones embedded into her pale skin. Her brown eyes emitted a mixture of shock, surprise, fear... and joy. My frozen core burst into flames in an abnormal way - abnormal because my body was no longer capable of any physical changes. My appearance no longer changed, my cells no longer moved, my organs no longer lived, my heart no longer pounded - yet it ached in a highly strange way. I was no longer who I used to be.

My face had been greatly improved when I became a vampire. My skin had turned completely smooth, snow pale, and spotless. Even my eyes had changed color - from natural brown to bright crimson before they turned gold after months of dieting animal blood. When I looked into the mirror right after my transformation, it was nearly impossible to recognize myself.

But she gazed at me like I looked exactly the same to her.

Her feet moved toward me in a slow, mesmerizing pace. And I was a frozen statue. Not even a second passed, and she was still walking. I just stood there, unmoving, because my frozen body could not comprehend this very moment. My core was frozen in ice.

The seconds passed all too slowly. She stopped a few paces away, standing inches from me. The warmth of her body sent a shocking wave into the air that touched my face. I breathed it in briefly, taking in her scent by accident.

"Is it really you, Sam?" she asked in Chinese, barely above her voice.

Sam. My real name.

My frozen core ignited in flames. My mind drowned in fiery emotions, and my human memories suddenly turned clear like crystal. Every picture became perfectly clear. All the memories that I had worked so hard to contain now came rushing to the surface, like a lid had been lifted off the bottle and everything inside poured out. The first day at school when we met. She smiled in such a dazzling way.

A strong arm grabbed and pulled my hand with fierce force and interrupted my memories, forcing me back to the present.

"Tommy..." Nessie called my new name in an urgent voice.

My eyes, ever so focused on the girl I loved, turned reluctantly to my little niece. A transparent image of me and June flashed through my mind, but it did not come from my power. It came from hers. I saw me in a petrified expression as my glittering eyes gazed at June. The environment around the picture began to shift. I realized instantly that I was about to expose us to a room full of humans - by accidentally using my power without thinking and making others see my memories.

I looked back to her again. Those brown eyes, dazed and yet confused. I wanted to kick myself to badly right now - so torn by the girl that I loved so much and the responsibilities that came with my immortal life. How was I going to make it through this? I have to get away from here, get away from her - even though I really just want to stay with her. I knew I can't stay.

I opened my mouth, but no words came out. My shaking feet moved backward slowly. Her eyes followed.

I struggled to get the words out of my mouth. "I-I gotta go," I whispered, though there was more that I wanted to say.

Her furrowed eyes changed. I turned to Nessie and Jacob to avoid her eye contact and focused on the words. _Sorry, guys. I don't think I can go to the concert. You two have fun!_

With that, I turned around and rushed out the door, and dropped my scoop.

"Sam!" she called after me in Chinese.

I could hear footsteps banging a few centimeters behind me. I wanted to run faster, to get away - it was hard when I had to watch my speed in the bright streets. A responsibility that I needed to uphold for the sake of my family. My new, vampire family. I struggled with my ears to avoid hearing her scream my name.

My eyes flickered around the area, looking for any open route that I could use to disappear in a flash. And get away from _her_.

There was none.

Her voice sent shutter into my ears everytime she called my name. I focused on my environment to distract myself from the sensation that shuttered to my core like electrical shocks zapped through my skin to the heart.

Of all days, this had to happen on my _birthday_! It was as if my realization of never aging wasn't good enough for the cosmos, but it had to send her to me! Whatever cause there was to all of this, I wasn't sure if I wanted to accept it. She could not find out who I was. She wouldn't be able to accept it: that I'd become the same kind of monster that killed my family.

"Yu Jan Sam, stop running immediately!"

I reacted accordingly, stopping my run before I could reach the zebra crossing, though I didn't know why. It was like her words sent thick cables to my body and propelled me to stop. Though what really made me stay frozen was hearing her call my old name out loud.

When she spoke again, her voice was trembling. "Sam... is it really you?"

I didn't respond. I didn't know how.

"If it really is, then can you please turn around and let me take a look at you?"

How was I going to do this? Should I turn around and let her see my new face? Should I run? A part of my mind wanted to run across the street and disappear like a speeding bullet, but more dominant part demanded me to turn around to face her and let her see me.

I turned, hesitantly. She was least 10 feet away, which gave a wider look of her body. I didn't even notice how much she had changed physically. She seemed somewhat taller than I remembered; her arms grown wider; her chest slightly expanded. Her full lips and long hair were in perfect comparison to her figure.

Her frozen eyes bore into mine. She huffed and twitched into a grin.

"It really is you...," she murmured and walked slowly towards me. Her eyes examined my flawlessly perfect face by every step.

We were only inches away now. I hear her heart pound quickly and strongly like a jackhammer; veins of blood flowed in her soft skin, my throat twitched but it was easy to ignore. The warming smell of her blood was not more appealing than her brown eyes.

"It really is...," she murmured again.

She reached for my face. I took a quick step back before her hand could touch me. I didn't want to feel her warm hand, even though it would have felt good to embrace it. I wasn't sure if I was strong enough to bear this. Her eyes changed to confusion and pain.

"Don't come any closer," I warned subtly in Chinese.

"Sam..."

I said a little louder. "Don't _call_ me that name, June" - it ached strangely to say her name.

"Why? Where have you been all this time? What happened to you?" Her questions sent painful shocks to my skin. It didn't help that she was taking slow steps towards me.

I raised my arm to warn her. "Just stay away from me."

She stopped, but her trembling voice continued. "Sam, I've been looking for you for three and a half years" - her eyes turned watery - "Ever since you disappeared."

Her words repeated in my head. _Ever since you disappeared._ She didn't believe I was dead?

"Why did you look for me?"

"I didn't want to believe that you were dead. Your body was never found. I told myself that I wouldn't believe it until I found you." I listened intently to everything she said, I wanted know how much she had been through the past three and a half years. But most importantly, I wanted to hear her voice again. Strong and real as it was, my illusion was nothing compared to June in person.

"My father wanted me to forget about you and move on, but I didn't listen," she continued as tears ran down her cheeks. "When he forbade me to hire detectives, I walked out."

I blinked. "You walked out?"

"To find you. I never stopped. I went and looked with every lead I could find. I told myself that no matter what happened, as long as I kept going, then someday I will find you." Her lips lifted up to a grin, sorrowful yet beautiful and happy. "And now I have."

My happiness was beyond description at this point. I had always known that she would be a permanent part of my immortal life. Edward, Carlisle and Jasper had told me all about vampires. Their personality characteristics were frozen like their physical appearances. Whatever they liked, disliked, whatever love they once had as humans would always be part of their vampire states, if anything they were heightened. Edward had told me how he knew love worked for vampires; how he fell in love with Bella. Jasper and Alice, Emmett and Rosalie, Carlisle and Esme - they all felt the same about each other. Therefore my love for this girl was carved into my tissues, and it would always be there, even after a millenium. What I hadn't counted on was how genuine this love was. June and I had been in love since high school. It wasn't really love at first sight, but over time, our friendship turned into something more. It did not take long before I brought up the courage to ask her to spring dance. Even after three years, I never forgot about her. As a newborn, I was insatiable with thirst, but the thought of her always ran in my mind. And now, here she was, telling me how long she'd looked for me.

She gave up everything for me. From the distant human memories, I remembered June's father, telling me to stay away from his daughter, because she was about to pursue a singing career. Her clear and beautiful singing voice had been enchanting to everyone who heard it. It was impossible to believe that she wasn't born to become a singer. She loved it, too.

Her smile dropped a little as she watched my expression change.

"What about your singing career?" I asked.

She turned quiet for a few seconds. "I couldn't. When I found out that your family was dead and you were missing, I lost it. I couldn't sing. It just disappeared. And I realized that... if you couldn't be there to hear me, then I wouldn't be able to sing again."

She couldn't sing again because of me? Because I disappeared?

"But it was never about needing you to be able to sing," she went on. "It was... it was about me loving you so much that I couldn't imagine being alone again. I've tried before, and it didn't help." She sobbed loudly.

I couldn't think clearly anymore. Her words sunk into my conscience like electrical shocks to the heart. My mouth couldn't release a sound that would describe how I was feeling.

I reached out to her, touched her warm and watery cheek to wipe off her tears with my thumbs. She flinched at my touch.

"Your hands are so cold," she murmured in a surprised, sobbing voice.

I pulled back immediately and put my arms behind my back. In addition, I backed away a few feet. She stared at me in confusion. I shut my eyes, unable to look at her with my new, strange eyes. My happiness of hearing her sincere words disappeared as fast as the wind current. Now it was completely replaced by agony - agony, because of what I have become. The same kind of monster that murdered my family. I could never be with the girl that I loved so much again. Even if I had told her, even if she knew everything... there was no possibility of us being together ever again. In this moment, I hated those blood-sucking murderers more than ever. They had taken everything precious to me. My life, my family, my dreams, and most importantly, my love.

I wished _so_ badly that I could find them and rip them apart - limb by limb - and let them feel the pain burning their body parts. The thought almost made me smile.

"Sam?" June murmured my name, breaking my thoughts.

I opened my eyes and looked at her again.

There was nothing I could tell her, nothing I could say that would ease her confusion. Nothing I could say that would make everything better again. I couldn't tell her that I had become a bloodthirsty monster that could easily take her... -.

I shook my head to erase the thought.

"You can't...," I began - the unspoken words choked on my throat. "We can't... we can't be together anymore, June."

She stared at me with the confused look again and muttered. "What do you mean?"

I pursed my lips, angrily, agonized and pain-struck, all at the same time. "I died three years ago in that accident. That's why we can't be together again."

She sobbed at my hurtful words. "But... I don't... I don't understand..." she was barely speaking.

My eyes twitched in a strange way. I felt the strong urge to wrap my arms around her and comfort her, but I shoved it down to my stomach. I have to make it clear. I fought to look serious and said through a harsh voice. "Listen to me, June. Go home and don't ever come looking for me again. It's best for you to try to live on without me than be with me." I wanted to rip out my own throat.

She burst into tears. I broke my voice and took a step forward, but then stopped abruptly and turned around. I didn't know how much longer I could restrain myself from trying to comfort her, to give her hope. I have got to make it clear - even though it will kill me to leave her.

Fighting my torn up feelings with all efforts, I crossed the icy zebra crossing.

"Sam!"

I froze again. She broke into a run in my direction. Taking a quick breath, I broke out of the trance and ran to the other side of the pavement and continued running, fighting the urge to stay. She continued to call after me, but I continued. It was difficult to keep my speed steady when all I wanted was to run as fast and far as possible. To the world's end.

A car appeared at the end of the block and the backseat door opened. I recognized the inhabitants as Jacob and Nessie through the dark glass, so I leaped into the backseat with all speed I was allowed to exert.

"Sam!" June shouted my name again with a broken voice.

I ignored it and closed the door behind me. Nessie drove away towards the opposite direction, and I covered my ears to avoid hearing her voice and shut my eyes to avoid seeing her.

Though unable to see or hear her, I knew that I had caused her pain. But it was necessary to keep her safe, to keep her from going through worse. I wanted to kill myself for trying to protect her this way.

"Are you all right," Jacob asked.

"No, I'm not," I gritted through my teeth while curling beside the window, though I wasn't angry with him.

My eyes twitched endlessly and I found myself sobbing.

So, this was what it felt like to cry. Tearless, but just as uncontrollable and painful.

I was completely torn up inside.

Broken, scattered and irrepairable.


	31. Let's Shake

**CHAPTER 31 - LET'S SHAKE**

_**Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Renesmee<strong>

I felt sorry for Tommy: after three and a half years of leaving his previous life behind, it finally caught up to him and all he could do was run away from it. I never knew he had a girlfriend, but there weren't many things that he wanted to share, either. He decided to go home after all, but insisted that we go on with today's plans - his birthday wish.

"If you really want me to be happy, guys, then you'll go and have fun even without me," he demanded, his voice equally broken and dead.

"Are you sure?" Jake asked, truly worried.

He nodded and took off without another word. That was his statement - we will have fun without him. So I drove to the place I had reserved tickets for. Jake was very curious when we got to the downtown club.

Jake held my hand and comforted it, and all my sadness immediately lifted off my shoulders. Not perfect, but better.

"We're going to "Clubway"?" he asked when he saw the sign over the gates.

I smiled at him. "Don't worry, I'm legal." I held up my ID.

He laughed

"Only by paper," he corrected. "Technically, you're still seven."

I stuck my tongue out. He laughed again. "Not like it matters anyway, I'm sure the guard'll let us through when he sees you. In fact, they'll be more than happy to be of your service."

I laughed.

The guard let us pass easily. I was a little disturbed by the way he shot glances at me. Jake wasn't worried; because according to him, I was a blinking star. Instead he was surprised by the poster attached to the dark walls that displayed the club's performing band. "Manhattan Bystanders?" he said, surprised.

I nodded. "I know you love them."

He gleamed a large smile at me, dazing me to the core.

"Thank you so much."

The band emerged the moment we made it to the dance floor, with the crowd cheering their throats out. The sweaty disco smelled blood, smoke, alchohol, and heat, maybe drug too. The lead vocalist, Byron Yanks, exclaimed when they began playing the first song. The crowd cheered even louder around us. I noticed Jacob's excitement, even though he wasn't shouting.

He held my hand and started dragging me back and forth, dancing me around. I was instantly reminded of the Halloween dance, before the roaming vampires appeared and momentarily ruined our peace in Cloverdale. For a minute, I was curious about where they could have gone and what they were doing at this moment. Jake spun me in a circle, and my curiosity was spun away. I spun my way out of his hand and danced on my own.

The loudspeakers and cheering voices were crashing into my ears, but I could still make out Jake's laughter.

I grabbed his big hand and dragged him towards me. He place his other hand on my hip the same time we closed the distance. I stopped spinning to shake my hips and shoulders. It felt really weird to dance this way, but also fun and releasing. I lifted my arms up in the air and turned around to rub my back against Jake's chest.

He laughed loudly and ran his hands around my stomach. Moving like a magnet, I moved my arms backwards to touch his neck. He leaned down to ease my moves: I could feel the hot air of his breath on my hair, neck, and shoulder.

"Can I have my present?" he asked in my ear, catching me off guard.

We stopped dancing, but did not remove our formation.

"I thought I already gave you your present," I said loudly.

"Yeah! But there's one more than I absolutely want, plus your present was a good surprise."

I chuckled and used my hands to show him that he could ask for anything he wanted. He laughed loudly, and then leaned a little closer to my ear.

"Just this," he whispered and then moved his head a little further over my shoulder and kissed my lips.

My body instantly ignited on fire. My hands clutched tighter to his neck, without closing the connection. His mouth moved a little more aggressive by the second. I had no complains - his touch was too sexy, too enchanting.

The cheery crowd and the rocky music was forgotten.

* * *

><p>We left the club at 10:45, right after the third song. It was going to be a 2 hour-drive: we have school tomorrow and after Jacob had to work, so we both agreed to cut the night short.<p>

But right after leaving the club, my sympathy for Tommy returned in my stomach. And I couldn't help but wonder how the girl - June, as I remembered when I heard Tommy say her name - was feeling and where she would be right now. It was strange to feel anxious for someone I hardly knew.

For all I know, she should not be in close proximity with Tommy. Her involvement would drag all of us in danger in more than one way.

But I just wanted to make sure that she was okay, at least for the moment.

"I want to go back," I admitted after crossing a few blocks with the car. Jake looked at me curiously. "I want to find that girl. June."

His eyebrows furrowed in anguish. "That's not a good idea, Nessie."

"I know, but I can't help feeling like something is wrong. You saw how she cried when Tommy..." I trailed off.

The silence only lasted for a moment.

"I'm not going to tell her anything, I just wanna follow her scent and see if I can find her whereabouts. At least make sure she's safe."

Jake looked forward, not speaking. After a moment, he sighed in defeat. "All right."

We picked up the unfamiliar girl's trail at the block where we left her; then Jake insisted that he followed the scent in the cold streets while I followed in my car. He wanted to make sure that I wouldn't be in danger, even if the possibility of me getting hurt was minimum. I drove across the streets, following Jake as closely as possible.

It took around 30 minutes before the scent got stronger, closer.

"I think we're here," Jake said lowly without turning around, knowing that I would hear.

We followed the scent across another street, and then Jake pointed to a Suzuki Swift 2008.

"There," he confirmed. "She's in that car."

I saw through the darkness inside the car and found her. Sleeping uncomfortably in her front seat, covered by nothing but a fairly thick blanket. But there wasn't anything I could do.

So I memorized the car number and then drove straight home with Jake.


	32. Timing

**CHAPTER 32 - TIMING**

_**Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful.**_

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><p><strong>Renesmee<strong>

Tommy was still too much in a wallowing mood to go to school.

He had spent the whole night in his bedroom, forbidding everyone's entrance.

* * *

><p>By the time we got back, Dad had already explained everything to the others about the story that only he knew and had been keeping from us.<p>

"He used to have this girlfriend in high school," Dad said when he repeated the story last night.

Aunt Alice, Uncle Jasper, Uncle Emmett and Aunt Rosalie had dispatched to their respective rooms.

He continued. "I found out about her a few months after his change, when he started to remember June." He made a sad look.

"When they met, they were both freshmen attending a local high school in Boston. June came from a middle-class family, so she was highly popular, and most boys were very fond of her, including Thomas. Luckily, they were both in the drama department. June was especially talented in singing and her voice was especially good; she was referred to as a naturally-born singer. She and your uncle wound up doing a science project together and they got to know each other better. They became friends after that, even though it caused some tension to the lesser friendly boys. Eventually, they started spending more time together, during and after school. After months of friendship in denied feelings, Thomas finally built up the courage to invite her to the spring dance. As it turned out, she had been having a crush on him for some time too. And they went steady.

"June's father did not approve of their relationship because of Thomas's low-class family, but June disobeyed him. She told him how good of a person that Thomas was, and that she did not care about prosperity. He was stubborn, but they were both determined to be together, and Thomas's family supported them. Eventually, June and Thomas graduated from high school, and she attended Julliard College to study music while he studied English at a community college in New York. After they graduated, an agency was quite taken by June's talent so much that they decided to hire her as their new singer. When her father found out, he confronted Thomas and ordered him to break ties with his daughter. 'She's going to make a star, and you can only be her distraction,' were his words.

"He started doubting about their future. When his family decided to go on a trip together, he used it as an opportunity to think things through. He wanted to know if he could be with her without being a burden." His business-serious face frowned deeply. "But before he could make up his mind..." he trailed off, but I already knew the rest of the story.

"He lost it all overnight," Mom finished, a frown rearing her beautiful face too.

Jake, Grandma and Grandpa frowned. And I knew I was frowning, too.

"He started remembering June six months after the change, when he was still a newborn," Dad continued. "He found the pain of loss extremely unbearable. As much as he wanted to see her again, he realized that there was no other way for them to be together again, not unless she joined him. But he couldn't imagine taking away her will and mortality for his own selfishness. So he spent years trying to forget about her." He froze for a moment. "At first, it was very difficult. His memory was nearly impossible to contain." - As the words sunk in, I began to realize why Tommy was so emotional and violent as a newborn. - "He didn't go back home for his family's funeral, because of the obvious pain and the mixed feelings that would surely be on the way if he saw June there. Even after that first year, he had Jasper constantly at his side to help him restrain his emotions. To keep them from overwhelming him. It took him a year and a half before he finally a handle on the emotions."

"How?" I asked.

He didn't answer right away. "By burying his memories of June in the deepest depths of his mind, to hide in the shadows. That's why he changed his name. To forget."

"That's so sad," Jacob whispered, his head lowered to the floor.

And I was as saddened by the tragic story as they. Tommy had been through more trauma than any of us could comprehend. He may have retained his natural traits, but the trauma was also part of what made him who he was today. And now, he was being burned alive by it.

* * *

><p>"Is everything all right?" Martie asked after history class was dismissed.<p>

"Of course," I lied. "Why?"

His eyebrows furrowed. "Well, you guys are less talkative today, and Alice is a little grumpy about not seeing enough. Plus the fact that Tommy and Jasper are absent today. I saw only 7 of you when the bell rang. And even though I don't know you guys all too well with the... _weird stuff_ -" he whispered the last two words "- I can tell that something is up."

I huffed. He was so much more observant than most people. Then again, he was the only human around here that knew our secret. I have to give him credit for that.

But there was only so much that I could tell him.

"Tommy's not in the best mood today, that's all I can say."

He nodded but didn't ask more, probably a wise decision.

I was still amazed at how Martie had grown almost completely comfortable with the rest of my family; he hardly worried about Dad's mind reading and Tommy's odd pictures. Mom, Uncle Emmett and Aunt Alice mostly chatted with him with random topics. Only Aunt Rosalie ignored him completely.

Mom saved seats for me, Jacob and Martie. Aunt Alice and Aunt Rosalie discussed how to re-decorate her closet, while Uncle Emmett and Jake discussed a one-on-one match this Friday night. (I hope they wouldn't fight too seriously.) Martie asked Dad for advice about a research paper on the Civil War. It was amusing to imagine his reaction if he found out that Uncle Jasper had been part of it.

I discussed mostly our history papers due next Thursday with Mom - not that we didn't know the answers in advance.

The day was practically as normal and perfect as it was last semester, except for Tommy's absence. There has to be some way to help him through his pain.

An idea came to me as fast as lightning. Mom knew that Dad was a vampire and she accepted him wholeheartedly; half of my family did not regret meeting the other and becoming vampires because of the other; Jacob is well accepted into my life; our relatives in Denali, Uncle Eleazar and Aunt Carmen, Aunt Kate and Uncle Garrett, even Aunt Tanya and Uncle Fred found each other; Benjamin from the Egyptian coven told Tia about himself when she was still human and she chose to be with him. Perhaps it could be the same for Tommy and June? An ending. The stake seemed quite high, but at least they would find their way out of this ambiguity.

Dad gave me with a harsh expression and I knew he was disagreeing with me. But to think of the circumstances, there really wasn't any better option. The least we could do was make June realize what really happened to Tommy.

_The risk may be high, but we've faced worse, Dad,_ I thought.

His face softened. Mom was the first to notice.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

He nodded softly and whispered. "Looks like we're going to need 'Aunt Phoebe'."

Aunt Alice's eyes turned blank, and when they refocused she had a weary expression - as if she was being asked to pick up laundry and buy grocery on her way home.

* * *

><p>"Urgh, I can't believe your dad signed me up for this," Aunt Alice complained for the fiftieth time.<p>

"Come on, Alice, it's for Thomas," Mom reasoned.

"I know, I know, but it's not easy when you only have a picture of what she looks like and a car number," she comprehended, and then added. "Not that I can see enough anyway."

I sighed.

"You want me to get off your car, Aunt Alice?"

We'd searched the city for nearly one hour. The sun was past the tall buildings, still shining too bright for them to search in the open. Maybe me being with Aunt Alice was the cause of her inability to see clearly.

"No, I just wanna complain and ramble." Her eyes became blank, but her driving did not slow or get off course. "Wait, I see her. She's going to the police station."

That didn't make sense.

"What? Why?" Mom asked from the backseat.

"To hand in Thomas's picture and tell them what she saw."

This was no good idea, but how would she know that?

"Where is she now? When will she get there?"

Her eyes were still blank. "In 20 minutes, but I can't tell if we'll get there in time."

I wanted to kick myself. Aunt Alice was our best tracker and I was in her way.

"Stop the car," I snapped.

She drove to the side. I opened the door before she stopped and got off. The sun shone upon my pale skin.

"Nessie?" Mom said in confusion, but stayed in the shadows. It didn't take her long to figure out what I was doing. "You don't have to do this, sweetheart."

"Yeah, I do." I turned to Aunt Alice. "Do you see better?"

She looked to me with a huge grin. "We'll get there. But I better get Emmett and Rosalie to pick you up so your dad doesn't snap at me for being a mean aunt."

I nodded and closed the door. "Hurry."

They drove away as fast as they were allowed in the street.

**Bella**

Alice dialled Emmett's number once we were out of the block. Emmett answered on the first ring.

_Hello?_

She said everything in a second. "Emmett, it's Alice. You gotta go pick Nessie up. We're dropped her off at Pork's Avenue, and then you _need_ to get to the police station at 501 North Dixon Street in 20 minutes. And remember; don't tell Nessie that's where you're headed. It's important."

_Okay,_ Emmett agreed and they hung up at the same time.

"I don't get it, Alice. Isn't that where we're headed?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yes, but I didn't see clearly back when Nessie was still with us. But as soon as she got off, I saw us blocking June's path." That still didn't make sense to me. "The problem is that the sun'll be there, shining clearly through the sky."

Oh, _that_ clarified at least one thing. "We can't talk to her without getting our skins exposed."

She nodded.

"We have to be careful with what we do next, it's not like we have an exact plan. And as far as I know, Nessie's the only one of us who can get out in the open without too much trouble, but... -"

"But if she knows that's where she's headed, her decision will cloud your vision and you won't be able to see if we can stop June from going to the police in time," I interrupted as clarity removed the confusion.

"Exactly."

"Can you see her now?"

She nodded again, a little hesitantly this time. "More clearly so far, although I can't tell the next minute."

"Then we better hurry up."

I looked up front. Alice sped up the Porsche as soon as we hit the highway.

Her phone rang and she answered.

"Hello?"

_Hey, I picked her up._

"Great, I'll see you later." With that, she hung up.

It felt nostalgic to be in a hurry with Alice in a Porsche. I was instantly reminded of the time when Rosalie told Edward that I was dead, and Alice and I rushed to Italy to stop him from committing the greatest crime of vampire laws: exposing the secret of vampires' existence. And now, we were in the same car again, chasing down a girl named June to stop her from putting our family at risk. I should've been resentful of her action, but I wasn't. I understood her motive better than anyone. Unlike me, she left home to find her lost love. And even after three and a half years, she didn't give up. In many ways, I was amazed with her strong will, even though we haven't met yet. Hopefully, when we find her, it'll be worth the trouble. Not just for her sake, but for all of ours.

We crossed Northwest Broadway Bridge in 17 minutes.

"Do you see her?" I asked Alice by the time we reached North Broadway.

She nodded.

"She's almost there. We gotta block her path and distract her until the others get there." She swung around to another road in a hurry and sped past the cars up ahead.

"How far are they?"

"Not too far. Emmett's speeding his way here. No more than 30 seconds."

I looked around to find the car Nessie and Jake described. I felt the change of course when the car turned to a smaller road between a three-story building and a large parking lot.

The police station was right beyond the tight street. We must be close to her by now.

"Oh, no," Alice cooned.

"What?" I asked.

"Nessie... she must've figured out where they're taking her. And now everything turned blank. I can't _see_. Argh, well, first thing's first."

She sped the car twice as fast and rushed across the road. Then stopped abruptly at the end. I felt another car skizz and stop a few feet away before it could clash with ours.

"Hey!" the driver complained, a female.

I didn't need to know who it was. I already knew.

June Chau. The love of my brother-in-law's existence.

Alice didn't look her way, she was already keeping track of her next move. June backed her car a few centimeters and swung the wheel to the right. Alice immediately moved a step forward and blocked her path again.

"What's your deal?" June complained.

Emmett's heavy Jeep swung into the street from our left - faster than I remembered was allowed. Just as June was about to move her car again, the Jeep jerked to a stop and Nessie rushed out of the car and darted to her side.

"June!" she called and knocked on her window.

I could see her expression change when she realized Nessie just called her by name. She hesitantly opened the window.

"Who are you? How do you know me?" she asked.

Nessie didn't answer at once.

"I know Tommy - I mean, Sam. Anyway, it's not a good idea to go to the police."

"Why?"

She hesitated. "Just please. Don't. if you would just come with us, I'll explain."

She didn't respond, probably wondering why she should trust a bunch of strangers.

"I can take you to see him. And I will explain everything. About what really happened and why he left. Please, just come with us."

I hated to see my little girl plead like a slave begging for mercy. So it was a relief when she agreed.


	33. Shock and Courage

**CHAPTER 33 - SHOCK AND COURAGE**

_**Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Renesmee<strong>

We drove until we left Portland. Aunt Alice and Uncle Emmett dropped us off outside the snowy forest and then took off, and Aunt Rosalie went along. Mom, June and I walked further into the woods, leaving her car behind. The sun was already behind the mountains, so it was safe for them to be in the open.

June stayed six feet away and eyed at the two of us for a long minute, as if she was interrogating two criminals.

I sighed. No matter how I planned to tell her, it was nearly as hard as telling Martie. I will have to show her before saying anything.

Mom pepped my shoulder supportingly.

"What is it that you wanna tell me?" June finally asked.

I took a calming breath and readied.

"Before we get to that, we need you to promise to be open-minded," Mom asked her. "Because what we're about to say is gonna change your whole world."

June gave a confused look.

"Surely when you saw Sam again last night, you've noticed how much he's changed from the way you remember, right?" I asked.

She deliberated for a moment and nodded.

"What do you remember of the difference?" Mom asked.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"It has to do with what happened three and a half years ago." Mom talked in a serious tone, like she was a politician and an entire audience was listening to her.

She looked another way as she tried to remember. "I-I remember that his skin was pale like ice, his face was pure and clear like a movie star wearing makeup..." Her eyes refocused on us. "And his eyes... they were gold." She touched her cheekbone. "And he was impossibly cold... like ice."

We both nodded in unison.

"When his family died that day, he got lucky and survived," I explained carefully. "But at a very high price."

June furrowed her brows as confusion reappeared on her face.

I breathed as the vital words came up to my throat.

"He became a _vampire_," Mom interjected, taking my line.

June blinked twice, like she had just heard that Katrina was a fake story. A loud chuckle escaped her mouth. "I'm sorry, what?" she asked in a mixture of disbelief and confusion.

"He became a vampire," Mom repeated, no hint of sarcasm.

And neither did I.

"His whole family was killed by vampires."

June looked away in disbelief, her lips twitched up in a smile and revealed dimples that weren't there before (none that I noticed, anyway). I knew she wasn't believing the story. But it was my plan to tell her the truth, so there was only one way to show her the truth.

"Wow, that sounds so convenient," she murmured sarcastically.

I looked to Mom for a short moment. Our eyes met, and I knew she was thinking the same thing.

I looked away and took cautious steps towards June. Every step I took made her grin fade away, as if she was on alert or something.

"I can show you the truth," I said, opening my hands in invitation. "All you have to do is take my hands."

She looked down on them and then to me again, hesitating.

"What're you saying, exactly?" she asked.

"I can prove that what we're saying is nothing but the truth. But if you want it, then you have to touch my hands and see for yourself."

She looked down on them again. Then, she hesitantly grabbed my palms and I concentrated intently on the first time I saw Tommy: a frantic newborn vampire with a fierce expression as he desired for my blood.

June gasped in shock, but did not retract her hands. I concentrated on my flow of memories: the first time Tommy ran through the forest with my family; the first time he used his power and accidentally created a deer triggered by his thirst; the first time he broke into a fight with Uncle Jasper and Uncle Emmett, with Uncle Jasper overthrowing him; the first time he tucked me into bed and imagined live flowers, fairytale-like animals and enchanted creatures for a night show; the first time I saw him lift a ten feet tall rock and kick it in kung-fu style; and finally, last year's racing when we ran side-by-side near the end.

I stopped my flow of memory, but did not remove my hands. June froze like a statue, even her respiration. Mom was frozen like a statue, too.

When she started breathing again, she gasped and retracted her hands and fell a few steps backwards until her back touched a tree. She continued to gasp, it almost looked like she was about to hyperventilate and I didn't need Dad to know her thoughts. We stayed in place and waited, not sure what to do.

"Oh... my... god," she choked.

When her respiration normalized again, Mom took a cautious step forward.

"Are you okay?" she asked cautiously.

She didn't respond right away.

"What did you to him?" she said another minute later. Her head lifted to look at us with an expression of fear, shock... and anger. "You're the ones that turned him... didn't you?"

"What? No, it was someone else," Mom explained calmly. "We don't hurt humans."

"Then who...?"

I was the one who answered. "Some of us have only seen their faces once, but we never knew their names." I waited a moment, and then went on. "When Tommy - I mean, Sam, got bitten, we found him and took him in. For the past three and a half years, he's been in pain, struggling with what he had become and grieving. We've been helping him through it."

She breathed easily. Her eyes did not remove themselves, instead they kept staring at us. It made me so curious that I wished Dad were here to hear her thoughts.

"Are you also...?" her question trailed off, but I knew what she wanted to say. _Are you also vampires?_

Mom nodded.

Her expression softened.

"Can I see him?"

I met Mom's eyes. In those golden irises, I could see a mutual feeling. Compassion.

I turned back to June and nodded.

* * *

><p>None of us talked on our way back to Cloverdale. It was easy to tell, however, that June was deliberating how to face Tommy now that she had an idea of what to expect. Mom had already called ahead, so the others will be ready. And according to Dad, Grandpa and Jake were there, too. They only need to convince Tommy to remain stable when we arrived.<p>

Disturbing whispers reached my ears before we reached the house, and I was sure Mom could hear them more clearly. Can't say the same about June, though. Her senses were too dull. Until I began going to school, I never truly realized how dull people's senses were. Then again, their durability, reflexes, strength and speed weren't at their best, either. It was probably arrogant to think this way, but I felt somewhat proud to be half-vampire. Being this close to human and yet possess the abilities of vampires. Of course, my abilities weren't as good as real vampires. I'll probably never know if I was strong enough to take on a vampire alone.

The whispers had ceased before Mom pulled in the car. Suddenly, I felt uneasy about the situation. No matter the outcome, I can't imagine it being a smooth process.

But my part to play was over. Right now, this is between June and Tommy.

We disembarked the car one after another. June got off last. She probably didn't know we noticed the tremble on her hands when she impacted the door. Mom and I went on ahead, escorting her toward the front door, but kept our distance. She paced slowly toward the stone stairs.

Dad opened the door before we reached the porch. Jake, Grandma and Grandpa immediately emerged from the living room. June froze in place, like she'd been frightened by a dog. When she recovered, he stepped to the side while Mom and I entered. Dad kissed my forehead and put his hand around Mom's waist, and Jake placed his arm on my shoulders and winked at Mom. We waited patiently as June stepped inside the house, her eyes examined us cautiously. To her, we were merely vampires from old movies and we could easily kill her now that she entered our territory.

Dad grinned casually.

"He's in the living room," he pointed.

He and Mom walked into the living room first and the rest of us followed. Tommy was mostly obscured by Uncle Jasper standing in between him and us, glancing intently at June, who was still standing at the door. Aunt Alice lingered beside the large couch. It took a half second to realize that not everyone was here. Aunt Rosalie and Uncle Emmett were absent. I could taste their fresh scent in the room, so they must have been in here very recently. I wondered why they weren't here now.

Dad caught my attention when he pepped my shoulder. His eyes looked up to the ceiling for a split second, and I knew the answer.

My attention shifted to June again when the sound of her breathing caught my ears.

"Jasper," Dad called.

Uncle Jasper slowly stepped around the sofa to Aunt Alice's side and took her hand, and Tommy became fully in view. His eyes shut tightly in his scrunched face. His hands fisted so hard that it almost looked like they were gonna break through his solid-hard skin.

June walked cautiously toward him.

"Sam?" she whispered.

He didn't open. A tearless sob escaped his throat.

"Why have you come here?" he asked in a broken voice, his eyes still shut.

The room went completely silent, except for my, Jake's and June's accelerated heartbeats and shallow breaths.

"Come on, let's give them some privacy," Dad suggested and turned Mom to the door.

"Edward, I don't think -" Uncle Jasper tried to reason.

"Jazz, it's okay," Aunt Alice assured. "C'mon."

She began to pull him toward us. Aunt Rosalie and Uncle Emmett's soundless rush sprang through the door before we left the room.

**June**

The vampires left us in the house. For a long moment, he didn't speak or open his eyes. I was still dazed by the perfection of his face. Spotless pale white skin; every hair string embedded perfectly into his head. His cheekbones were as I remembered, but it was impossible to not see the difference. When I heard him speak last night, even his voice was different. I couldn't even be sure if it was really _him_ in front of me, but somehow I just knew. And I wasn't afraid of him like I was with the others.

Of all the times I imagined how it would be to see him again, nothing in this moment was anywhere near my imagination. Nor was the situation.

"Sam..." I breathed. It took a few seconds to work up my volume.

"Can you please open your eyes?" I spoke in Chinese.

He didn't do it right away. Whether he was conflicted, angered or agonized, I couldn't tell. After a few thoughtful seconds, he finally did. I examined his new eyes for the first time since last night. Rich honey dominated his former muddy brown. Different as it is, he was perfectly handsome. Dazzling.

Even the sound of his Chinese was astonishing.

"Why have you come here?" he asked through his broken voice.

I breathed deeply before answering. "They, your _family_, told me what happened."

He turned to me at last, his perfected face scrunched together. Small, pretty dimples formed in his cheeks, but no lines appeared on his forehead or nose. I gasped.

"Then I guess you know what I am now, what I have become," he said angrily. "So why are you here? To say goodbye?"

I struggled to keep my head straight. "I came because I want to hear it from you. To hear what happened from your side of the story."

His agonized expression changed in a second, replaced by fierce, deadly anger. Every instinct in my body was telling me to make a run for it at this instant. He was a dangerous monster, I realized that for the first time since I entered the house.

"You shouldn't be here," he gritted through his teeth.

"It's not a matter of should or shouldn't, it's a matter of want," I said sharply, the determination in my voice was evident. The escaping instincts dulled by my determination.

He rose from the couch so fast that I didn't see him move at all. My heart accelerated again; fear ran through my veins and I could feel my instincts trying to overpower me again.

He glared into my eyes, burning gold emitting from his irises.

"You wanna know what happened?" he gritted again.

I struggled to keep my expression sharp, determined. He took two strides to my side, his fiersome anger sent powerful vibes into my body. My heart thudded like a jackhammer. I could feel it pump through my chest, even hear it. He tilted his head to hear it.

"You're afraid," he said through his grim voice as he straightened his head. "You're not ready to hear my story, June."

I breathed deeply and fought to keep my expression business-like. If I didn't persuade him that I was serious, he would never tell me anything.

"It's true, I'm really scared. But that doesn't mean I'm not ready. I knew what I was giving into the moment I came here. And to be honest, I have considered my options, but I still decided to come here instead. Because I _have_ to know. For the past three and a half-years, I've been tormented by different questions. 'What happened that day?', 'Where are you?', 'Are you dead or alive?', 'Are you well?'" I watched his angry expression soften while I talked. "And now, I know you are alive, at least in one way. But I still haven't gotten all the answers. That's why I have to find out. And what's most important is..." my voice softened. "I've missed you so much. No matter what's changed, that hasn't."

His anger turned into complete agony. His eyes closed for a long moment.

"Fine," he said while re-opening them and focused on me. "Then you better be ready to freak out."

He turned his glance to the clear glass windows.

Then everything dissolved, changed. We were no longer in the wide living room, instead we were in the middle of a highway surrounded by a thick forest under a clear night sky. I gasped at the sudden change of environment in terror.

"Where are we?" My voice was stuttering with shock.

"Nowhere," Sam said reassuringly. "We're still in the living room. It came with the change."

I couldn't grasp what he meant, then I remembered the images that girl, Renesmee, showed me when she tried to tell me the truth. She had placed an image in my head to show me that Sam had become a vampire. But it was different, though it was as real as it could be, it was a transparent picture. I was able to tell that it was in my head.

But this was vivid. Too vivid. I couldn't even tell if it was for real.

He continued to look ahead at where the glass windows had been a few seconds ago.

"You want to know what happened. Well, this is what." He said through an agonized voice without meeting my eyes.

A car appeared from afar and brightened the dark road with its traffic lights and drove in our direction at possibly 60 miles per hour.

I began to spring toward the side, but Sam grabbed my hand and held me in place. The touch of his hand was exactly as cold as ice, and his skin was hard like stone. His grip was overwhelmingly powerful, but I got a sensation that he was only exerting a part of it.

The car continued to move toward us, almost like it was driving through a highroad with no people nearby. As it closed in, I realized it was a minivan.

Then before I knew it, a shimmer moved across the road and the van flew up in the air so fast that I didn't see what happened. It hit the ground upside down 20 feet away from us with a squeal of bending metal and shattering glass. When the inhabitants started screaming, I was shocked by the familiar voices.

Sam released his grip on me.

Before I could see it, three more shimmers moved across the road. I only realized they were human beings when they stopped beside the car and started pulling the inhabitants out of the car. Sam's dad was the first to be pulled out the car. He was physically strong, and I'd seen him train martial artists, but even he had no power over the slimmer attacker that was pulling him. I knew at once that the shimmers were vampires.

And I wasn't sure if I wanted to know the truth anymore when they started pulling out Sam's mom and sisters. It was too real. Too horrific. Too painful.

_"Oh, god,"_ I whispered through my shaking voice and closed my eyes.

I could hear Sam sob tearlessly as I fought to restrain the screaming. It took me a long moment to realize that the screaming had stopped. I opened my eyes again, slowly this time. We were still in the dark forest. The first thing I noticed was the missing van, then Sam's family and the attackers - the murderers.

I looked at Sam hesitantly. He had a sullen expression that I comprehended.

"I was the last one they attacked," he explained, his voice sounding painful and his face scrunched by every word.

"When they bit me, I felt my wounds burst into flames. When Carlisle, Alice, Bella and Edward found me, my attackers disappeared at once, I could tell by the differences of their voices. I didn't know what was going on, all I could think about was the fire that started to spread throughout my body. It was _exactly_ like being burned alive.

"They brought to their house, but I still didn't understand why they weren't putting out the fire.

"'What iz happen-ning t-to me?' I asked when they took me into the basement.

"'Something you never would've wanted if you were given the choice,' Carlisle answered sincerely. 'You're transitioning into a vampire, young man.'

"And for some reason, I believed him. Especially after what I'd seen.

"'Oh, please...,' I begged, but he probably thought it was sarcasm. The burning pain took away all kinds of emotion from my face."

The forest dissolved and changed back into the large living room. I was shocked by the sudden dissolution.

His grimaced look lingered. It hurt to see him in pain.

"I wanted _so_ badly for it to end, and for more than one reason," he went on. "Carlisle told me that my entire family was killed by vampires, and that he and his family were vampires, too. But unlike the ones that attacked me, they had learned to control their thirst and feed only on animals.

"I begged him to take my life so I wouldn't become a vampire, a monster. I knew that I was getting closer when my ears started hearing everything in the house. I begged him to stop me from becoming a blood-sucking beast.

"But he didn't grant me that wish.

"'It doesn't have to be that way,' he explained sorely, like it was hurting him to say it. 'We will teach you how to control your instincts and your abilities.'

"'I don't want to become a monster.'

"'I know, and I am truly sorry for what I cannot do for you.'

"I didn't blame him though. His sincere eyes made it difficult for me to hold a grudge against someone with so much compassion."

He went silent. Quiet. Frozen like a statue.

"When my transformation was complete," he began again. "All I could comprehend was the thirst that dried every cell in my throat.

"'He's overly thirsty,' Jasper acknowledged coldly. 'Let's take him hunting.'"

" Emmett, Alice, Jasper and Rosalie - my new siblings - forcefully took me from the house. I could already smell all the appetizing scents that promised to stop the thirst, but for some reason I felt overly depressed. I know now that it was Jasper who lowered all my moods to make sure I wouldn't hurt anyone. After that first hunt, when I was... satiated, we ran straight up North, to Denali."

I was curious. "Denali?"

He turned to me, his face expressionless. "That's where their, I mean _our_, cousins live. Not related biologically, but they share the reverence on human life and kindness. It took me a while, but I come to understand and appreciate their way of life." His grimace slowly lifted to a grin. "Carlisle and Esme loved me like a son, and all the other siblings treated me like I was one of them. Even Jacob who didn't like me much then, learned to accept me overtime. And my niece, Renesmee, showed no fear even though I had a hard time being close to her at first." His smile widened, then faded again. "But I never forgot my real family."

He looked at me sheepishly. "I never forgot you."

My eyes became teary.

Of all the times I've imagined what he must have been through, a vampire assault was nowhere near my wildest imaginations. For some reason, the cosmos had decided to make Sam a part of the supernatural world.

And now, I've become part of it as well. Human though as I was, I now acknowledged the hidden side of the Earth; the opposite that lingered in the shadows and mirrored the world of science and logic, like light and darkness. The stories and fairytales that represented the world of magic were never anything to believe in, but they were real in some ways. But if that world was supposed to be known, people would have noticed and the Earth would have been different than it was now. I got an edge that it was kept that way for a reason, and now that I know about it, my life will never be the same again.

I reached to stroke his face. He backed away so fast it was hard to believe that he had moved. Fascinated as I was by his new capabilities, it ached to see him back away. His soft face grimaced again as he rested his shoulder on the door.

"You shouldn't have come. You shouldn't..." his voice trembled. "You shouldn't have known about all this."

My chest flamed with anger. How could he think that way? How could he just say that like I was insignificant?

I breathed to quench the fire.

"But I did come," I said.

He looked into my eyes for a moment.

"You did." After a few seconds, he added. "And now it's time for you to go home."

The fire exploded as if someone had added oil to spice it up. I tried to breathe, but it choke on me.

"You want me to go home?" I asked, unable to keep the anger from changing my expression.

His face became unreadable.

"Where you should've been all this time."

The flames burned brighter.

"Are you telling me to leave?"

He turned to the wall behind him, facing me with his back. "I'm saying you'll make a living hell out of me if you stay. This is what I am now, and I've come to accept it. But you're not one of us. I don't belong in your world anymore, June, it's about time you accept it too."

The anger flamed through my chest; it hurt so much that I wanted to scream. And at the same time, my heart ached like it got struck by lightning. Tears welled up in my eyes while the fire rippled on.

"Accept that we cannot be together?" I murmured, though I wasn't sure what I meant by that.

"Yes." It sounded like he was mumbling to himself. "You have to go home. You _have_ to move on."

I pursed my lips for a moment. "I don't want to."

He turned to look at me over his shoulder in surprise.

"I don't want to go home," I repeated, and then told him the other reason. "My mom died last year in a car accident. My father... he disowned me." His eyebrows lifted. When he didn't respond, I continued. "When I left to find you, he told me that he'll think I'm dead and told me to never come home if I walked out the door. And even if I did, he'll lock me out and never let me back in."

The memory refilled my mind in that moment. I've known his ego well enough to know that he meant what he said. All he had ever cared about was reputation, career and social status. He wanted me to break up with Sam only because he wanted to introduce me to the son of his boss. He also saw my singing potential as an open opportunity to move our family up to higher classes. The reminiscence ached in my voice.

"I know him well enough to know that he meant it."

His golden eyes became thoughtful, then they creased together. "It doesn't matter. Even if it's the other way, we still can't be together anymore."

The flames that were rippling through me a minute ago began to dull. What began to replace the fire was the piercing stab that could only be hurt when your skin were ice-cold.

"Sam, I don't want to go back," I repeated, my voice began to tremble. "But I want you. Fangs and all."

He took a deep breath, and then looked me in the eye as his expression changed to unreadability.

"June," he said sharply. "I _don't_ want you here."

Those last words repeated endlessly in my head.

"You don't want me?" I asked, but it was a whisper in my voice.

His expression did not change.

"No. I want you gone, and I want you to stop looking for me."

And just for that, I lost the words. The fire disappeared without a single trace.


	34. A Swim Under the Moon

**CHAPTER 34 - A SWIM UNDER THE MOON**

**MESSAGE: _The storyline was slowly turning into Thomas and June's love story, when it's really Renesmee and Jacob's, so this is a chapter to keep it in._**

_**Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Jacob<strong>

June took two sleeping pills before she finally fell asleep. I'll have to take the couch if I didn't want her to see a gigantic wolf snoozing on the first floor in the morning.

When I came downstairs, Bella, Nessie, Edward and Alice had drifted to the living room, except Esme, who I could hear refilling the refrigerator for me in the kitchen. I'll have to thank her when she came out. Edward and Bella were reading an encyclopedia I bought from last year's book sale up in Alaska. Alice examined the room's structure in distaste. And Nessie was holding a framed picture she took with me and her parents last summer in Jamaica on a family vacation.

She looked up to me and grinned. Helplessly enchanted by her magic as always, I grinned back.

I made my way to the couch and settled beside them. Bella and Edward gleamed at me, and I did the same, and Nessie wrapped her hands around mine. My already warm hands felt warmer by her touch.

Esme emerged from the kitchen. "Jacob, it's all done. I've also piled some vegetables on the kitchen table so you can use them for dinner later," she informed.

"Thank you so much, Esme," I thanked politely. She was always so kind to everyone in her surrounding. It took me a while to get used to it at first, but her unusual kindness was something to love. Even though I wasn't part of her family, she still treated me like one. And it sure was nice.

"You are as much part of our family as we are yours, Jacob," Edward answered my mind.

_Creepy vampire._ He looked away with a huge smile on his face.

"You know," Nessie murmured, taking my attention. "I feel bad for them. Tommy and June, I mean."

I frowned. Bella brushed her arm across my chest to comfort her.

"Me too, honey," she admitted. "Me too."

That reminded me. While we all listened to Tommy and June's conversation from the outside, I had no idea what they exchanged, because their conversation was in Chinese. My knowledge base did not involve Chinese interpretation.

"You're not the only one, Bella, Emmett, Jasper and Alice didn't understand either," Edward added and then explained. "He was telling her what happened that night when his family died, what he went through as a vampire, and then he told her to leave."

I snorted humorlessly. "I understood that part much."

Somehow June and Tommy's conversation brought back some old memories. It took a moment to realize the reason. Bella and Edward went through the same pain 8 years ago. He left her in Forks to keep her safe from his world and ended up breaking down her soul completely. We hadn't talked about it since Nessie was born, but those memories still lingered.

Tommy had done the same damage to June that Edward once did to Bella. June wasn't like Bella, of course, but from the way Jasper frowned at her pain, it was easy to tell she was devastated.

Edward frowned at my memory, and I dismissed it immediately.

Nessie touched my face. Her desire for quality time compelled me to leave the house, if June wasn't sleeping in my room upstairs and I have to watch over her.

"Bella, Alice, Esme, what do you say we watch over June while Nessie and Jake take a walk?" Edward suggested, picking through my brain again.

"Actually, I'm heading back to Jasper, gotta help him keep an eye on Thomas," Alice rejected.

"I could watch June," Esme offered.

Edward looked at Bella. They shared silent grins.

"Sure, no problem," she agreed. Edward's grin grew.

Nessie immediately rose from the couch and walked around me to hug her parents then Esme.

"Thank you," she murmured and added. "We'll be quick. 30 minutes or so."

Bella sighed. "I'll give you 1 hour, okay?"

Nessie's smile grew wider. She impulsively bent down to hug Bella again.

"Thank you, Mom."

Edward rolled his eyes. "Don't I get a hug, too?"

"Of course." And he did. "Thanks, Dad."

Alice left the house before us. She was eager to get back to Jasper and help him with Tommy. I hoped everything will be all right for his sake.

When we left the porch, Nessie pulled her hand out of mine, and before I knew it, she met me swept off my feet. I was instantly in her arms, and I was completely impressed and amazed. I burst into a peal of laughter at the glorious strength exhibited from her arms. I was twice her size and probably twice as heavy, and yet she carried me like I was merely a large backpack. She was so strong, so powerful, and so excessively exquisite.

"You swept me off my feet," I mumbled.

She laughed with me.

"Is that a bad thing?" she wondered.

I shook my head. "No, it's an impressive thing."

She giggled.

"Then you better prepare to be amazed, cuz I have an idea where I wanna go and I'm gonna carry you there."

"Whoa!"

Her arms moved so fast there was no way to see what she was doing until my body swung 10 feet up in the air. I could see her bend her body as I fell down toward her. The glamorous hair shined as a sudden gust of wind blew it across her back and shoulders. When I fell into her back, she bounced her feet to keep my body from throwing her off balance, and ran her arms around my thighs at the same time, clenching them perfectly around her waist.

I giggled, completely amazed by her perfection.

"You better hold on tight, little poodle," she teased, and then ran into the dark forest. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and neck, careful not to wrap too tightly.

It began to snow by the time she jumped agilely up toward a thick treebranch. She reached it with her arm and threw up further up before our excessive weight became too much for it to balance. Everytime she released one arm to grab a tree branch, she clenched to my leg with another arm. Her feet kicked us further up with little effort.

By the time we stopped on a branch that looked thick enough to manage us both, we were three stories off the ground.

"You're heavier than I thought," she breathed.

"You want me to get off?" I asked, half-teasing.

Her eyebrows creased together, but her grin did not fall. "Don't you dare." she warned.

I smiled. She jumped into the darker depths of the forest, holding me onto her all the time. The darkness wasn't enough to cloud her sight, or mine. Even in human form, my eyes were highly improved. We flew through the forest with her jumping from one tree branch to another, always moving forward to make sure our weight didn't become too much. Every time we flew, she grabbed one of the branches above to push us forward. I could feel us missing the trees by inches. And all I could do was observe the gracious movements of this wonderful creature. The snowflakes fell down on us as we flew and stuck to our heads and shoulders before they melted into our pores. I found myself smiling at the occasion. It was like everything fell into place in this exact time. It was all meant to happen on this night. The moment could not be more perfect. And most importantly, she could not be more perfect.

We were out of the woods after around 15 minutes. Landing on the snow 20 feet from the forest, we reached a small, round frozen lake. It continued to snow.

I jumped off Nessie's back and inhaled the cold fresh air in through my lungs. The faint smell of water and icy cold brushed across my face. I was instantly peaceful as the silence touched me; all worries lifted off my shoulders - not that I had much anymore after my dad's passing last year. Even though I was sad, and endlessly in pain at the time, there was one person who saved me from that dark depth.

Nessie walked down the snowy ground until she reached the icy lake and then turned around to look at me. Her face, her flowing hair and her beautiful brown eyes flashed at me through the darkness. It was like she was glowing. So beautiful, so seductively graceful, and so absolutely perfect. I tried to breathe, but it felt like a choke.

"How'd you find this place?" I asked, hiding my breathing disorder.

"Last year, Uncle Emmett showed me this place when we went hunting," she admitted.

She unwrapped the homemade bracelet, put it on the snowy ground, then she raised her arm and, before I could make out what she was doing, she slammed on the thick ice. It made a cracking sound the same time it made a huge circular hole, the freezing water splashed upward as Nessie's hand and the broken ice pieces sank in under.

I was utterly impressed with her strength and observed in admiration before she took off her shoes and socks. When she moved on to her jacket and blouse, I realized what she was doing and my respiration froze. My heart pounded as loud and fast as a car engine, and my blood pumped with more heat than usual. I didn't think it was possible. How was _that_ possible? It didn't bother me that I had no answer.

The snow ceased when she removed her pants. My eyes froze in place and examined every feature of her beautiful body. So sexy, so beautiful, so perfect. My head started spinning, like the world itself was spinning around me.

Edward and Bella will probably kill me when they find out how I observed their daughter, but I didn't care.

Clear moonlight suddenly burst through the night clouds and shone down on her. Her pale skin flashed a clear white color. It was almost like her skin could reflect both to sunlight and moonlight. Someone as beautiful and perfect as she must be a goddess.

She flashed a smile at me, making her even more beautiful.

"Join me for a swim, please?" she asked and moved a finger.

I walked toward her as if my feet were bound by countless ropes. Every step I took, my heart jumped impulsively faster, and yet I felt peaceful. She had control over my entire being. I was hers.

I stopped about 7 feet away from her and automatically took off my clothes, dropping them on the snowy ground.

Nessie smiled as her eyes examined my boxer shorts.

"'Burgundy red', sexy," she complimented.

I gleamed. She touched my shoulder, jumped up and kissed me. Then she turned around and dove into the ice-cold water.

I laughed for a short second, and then took a deep breath, held it and jumped in.

The darkness underneath the ice was much thicker than I had expected, the surface was only slightly more luminous, and the water temperature was much lower than I anticipated. It wasn't enough to freeze me, though. I tried to see through the darkness underneath to find Nessie. It was too thick, though. I couldn't see to make out anything, but there was another instinct that I trusted. More than my heightened senses, more than the wolf in me.

I swam further away from the open hole, following the magnetic pull that guided me through the darkness. The intense pull increased and I knew I was in the right direction, so I reached out with my hand. Then another hand touched mine. There was no other way to describe the completion brought by her touch.

Suddenly I could see her much more clearly. Not really with my own eyes, more like with my inner eye. It was like she used some sort of magical power for me to see better.

She leaned in and kissed me, and then swam in another direction, pulling me with her. I swam willingly with her toward another side of the lake, keeping close to the iced surface all the time. When my lungs began to burn, I knew I had to breathe and there wouldn't be enough time to make it back to the hole, so I unwillingly released Nessie's hand and turned to the ice above. As my head turned up, water began to fill in. Blowing out the burning air to distract the impulsive water, I focused all of my strength on my arm and punched open the thick ice and grabbed the edges to pull myself up. As soon as my nose came out of the water, I took in the cold fresh air that relieved my lungs.

Nessie came up right after me and took in her breath. Water dripped from her long hair strings and yet she was beautiful.

She touched my face. _Sorry I forgot to crack another hole._

"It's okay, it's not your fault. Besides, we're breathing now, right?" I assured her.

She placed her hand on my shoulder and pulled herself up. I lowered my head to kiss her.

She pulled back after a few seconds. Her smile gleamed brightly with the reflective moonlight, and touched me again. _Follow me._

I dived in after her. It was much easier to see her now, like the moonlight was glowing through the ice. Nessie did not swim in another direction, instead she swam around me. Her legs, arms, and body twirled around swiftly as she swam like a mermaid: I observed with full attention as she danced. Her eyes focused on me the whole time.

Nessie ran her fingers through my hand and asked me to dance. I ran my other hand through hers to show her my acceptance. Her lips lit up in a huge grin.

Music played in her head. Her warm hands drew me toward her and twirled me around in a circle. It didn't bother me that she was the one leading or that we sank deeper into the lake; I was having too much fun dancing with her. Nessie reached out with her free arm and leg to make a swinging move. Occasionally we went up to the surface to catch fresh air, but otherwise we remained mostly underwater.

She pulled away her hand and swam as she twirled around alone, dancing as gracefully as a blue-tailed mermaid. Her arms and body moved gracefully like a ballet dancer, even her long legs stretched with her toes. It was impossible to believe that there will ever be another creature as graceful as she. It was like she was sent to this world to make everything good and pure. Her magic was irresistible.

If there really was a God up there, then I was utterly grateful to him for sending down this angel to me. And to Bella, and Edward, and everyone else. She made Charlie, Seth, the Denalis, and even Tommy love her in no time. She was the most exquisite creature, ever.

"Wow, you're so amazing," I complimented when we came up to the surface again.

She grinned. "Thanks, you're not so bad yourself." Then she reached up to touch my soaked hair. "Almost time for a haircut, I'd say." Her hand moved down to my chin. "And maybe a shave."

I smiled hugely. "Yeah, I guess so."

Her hand moved slowly down my neck and my shoulder, and finally my chest.

Then, she reached up to kiss me. I automatically put my arm around her waist to assist her.

This time, she kissed more tenderly. I started to crave for more, it felt too good.

But even though I wanted her as much as she wanted me, I had to keep up the good boyfriend character for both of us. And that meant knowing when and where to put boundaries, even though it would make me anxious.

I pulled away before I could have second thoughts.

"We should get back now," I suggested in a reluctant voice.

She frowned, but nodded agreeingly. "Yeah, you're right." Then she smiled grimly. "Hey, would you say no to a little bet on the way home?"

I grinned. "Oh, bring it on."

We climbed out of the freezing water and held each other's hands while walking back to where our clothes lay waiting.

"Okay, we'll each find a prey on the way home. The biggest size wins, or if one of us catches a prey then the catcher wins. Oh, and if I win, I get to do your hair."

My eyebrows creased together. "And if I win?"

She smiled stunningly. "You get to decide activities on our next date."

I laughed.

Her body was still soaking wet when she put on her clothes again, but her advanced temperature will dry out the waters by the time we got back to the house. I ran straight into the dark woods, hid behind some thick trees, and made sure Nessie wasn't looking before taking off my underwear and phased.

Nessie waited by the lake with my clothes in her arms. When I came out of the trees, she took the shorts out of my mouth. "I'll carry these until we find a prey. C'mon, don't want you to fall behind."

With that, she darted into the forest with me trailing behind her. Her glorious hair blew like delicate silk, it was hard to focus on the hunt.

We sniffed the whole way to find a prey. When the fragrance of a stag reached my nose, I ran away from my girlfriend to follow the trail. The prey made a break for the escaping route, but I caught him before he could run 10 feet and sank my teeth straight into his neck, breaking it fast and easily. Then I followed my scent back to Nessie, with the stag in my mouth. Surprisingly enough, she waited for me, her lips lifted in a huge smile. It took a second to notice the dead stag laying a few feet away from her.

Comparing its size with my dead stag, it looked 1/5 larger.

_Oh, crud._

"I win," she declared victoriously. "I get to cut your hair and shave your stubble."

I laughed - or rather, barked. It didn't matter who won, as long as we were both having a good time. While Nessie drained the stags, I took my clothes to hide behind some trees to phase. By the time I came out again, she was done.

She checked the watch and informed. "We better speed back to your house if we're gonna get back in time."

I nodded agreeingly and held out my hand. She stared at me for a short moment with a smug expression. Then, before I knew it, a force moved my body and then I was on her back. Her impressive speed and agility sent a giggle straight up my throat.

"We do _have_ to get back in time, and you're only half as fast in human form, so it's better to let me carry you," she explained, but it was easy to recognize her teasing tone.

I didn't mind at all. It was satisfying to see her smile.

It began to snow again before she broke into a run. We were back at the house within 10 minutes. Bella and Edward waited at the door. Their faces lifted up into gleaming smiles.


	35. Strength and Temptation

**CHAPTER 35 - STRENGTH AND TEMPTATION**

_**Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful.**_

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><p><strong>Renesmee<strong>

For 2 days, we co-ordinated with taking care of June at Jake's house and going to school. Aunt Rosalie was the only one refused to help - "Like I would help someone so annoying," were her exact words.

We kept June company whenever we could; Aunt Alice kept track of her blurry futures when we were at school. Although according to Mom and Dad, she was too devastated to make any decision for the moment. I wonder how long it will take before she came through her depression. I would have been mad at Tommy if I didn't know that he was in the same state too. It was like they were living in a world where their genuine feelings were reflected by a mirror. I wished there was more that we could do for both of them.

But all we could do was wait and keep watch.

"Hey," Jake greeted when he came home from work. Grandma, Mom and I had been keeping June company at his house for the past five hours.

"Hey," we greeted back almost at the same time, though June's voice was lower and more hollow.

He took off his boots, jackets and gloves and settled on the wooden chair across the living room table. Silence covered the atmosphere for a moment.

"How was dinner?" he asked casually.

June lifted her head and answered casually. "It was good. Esme's a great cook." Her tone was too casual to sound like it was coming from her heart. It was also noticable how she seemed completely neglected to the fact that she was in vampire and werewolf territory. Tommy's damage on her was deeper and more potent than I had expected. How that happened I didn't know.

Mom frowned, but did not speak her mind. Her expression was genuine and compassionate, like she could relate to her agony. I didn't understand immediately.

Then I remembered what they told me about something that happened to Mom and Dad 8 years ago. Dad, who had recently experienced Mom's traumatizing birthday party that forced him to decide to leave Mom for good, and the blow was so tremendous that it sent both of them in deep depression.

Though I knew about it, it was impossible to imagine what they went through. I couldn't picture anything.

My train of thought ended with the silence when the phone rang. Jacob went to answer it. "Hello?"

All of us, except June, heard Paul's voice on the other end.

_Yo, 'sup, Jake?_ he greeted. _Everything all right there?_

"Hey, Paul," Jacob greeted back. "Yeah, you could say that. Barely. What about you guys, is everything alright in La Push?" His eyes turned sheepishly in our direction. Then Paul delivered the message that he called for and joy filled the air around us, like opening a window to let in new oxygen.

"No kidding," Jacob exclaimed with a happy tone that wasn't there earlier and his lips lifted up to form a huge grin across his face. "_When _was the baby born?"

_Last night. It's a girl! Rachel named her Lydia._ Hearing her name sent a tingle into my core.

"Wow, Lydia Lahote," he confirmed. "I look forward to meeting my new niece soon."

_You better, Jake. Okay, gotta go. I was buying some muffins for Rach._

"Okay, talk to you later." Jacob gleamed with a charming grin. The good news prompted the rest of us to gleam back, even June smiled a tiny smile.

"Congratulations," Mom wished before I could, but that didn't stop me from saying it.

"Congratulations, Jacob. I'm happy for you."

His eyes focused on me, like my opinion meant the world to him.

"Yes. Congratulations, Jacob," Grandma wished sincerely.

"Thank you," he said while continuing to look at me.

June smiled slightly, but didn't say anything.

The little union drifted apart quickly afterwards. I took Jacob upstairs to tutor him for an algebra test next Wednesday, Grandma went home to prepare tomorrow's work, and Mom watched June. I wondered what they would be talking about. Maybe nothing. Who knows what kind of conversation a vampire could have with a human who knew about her identity, especially when the vampire didn't talk much to regular acquaintances.

So it was kinda surprising when Mom actually stroke a conversation with June. Jake and I tried to focus on the algebra while their voices echoed in our ears.

"I can imagine what you're going through, June. I actually went through the similar things when I was human," Mom sympathized.

June murmured quietly to herself, but it was hard to hear what she was saying.

"When I first met Edward, Renesmee's father, he was already a vampire, but we fell in love," she began again. "A few months after we started dating, something happened on my birthday party, and then he moved away. I was left alone by myself."

"Were you devastated?" June asked, some life dimmed in her voice.

Silence took over for a minute, even Jacob and I weren't moving.

"Devastated couldn't begin to describe the way I felt back then," she answered. "It was like... falling into the bottom of a well, and I couldn't find the steady rocks to climb back up. In those months, I really hit bottom. It wasn't until I started hanging out with Jacob that I began to feel a little better. He kept the pain at bay. Not completely, but it felt good just to be rid of it for a while."

My heart ached a little. I'd been told of this story a few times, but I could never quite grasp how much pain they must have endured during that time. Lucky as I felt about being their daughter, I could see the obstacles they had worked to overcome before they married. Before I came into their lives.

"It's understandable that you don't want to give up, and it's natural."

"He said directly that he didn't want me here," June murmured in an uneasy voice. "That I was causing him trouble. Do you think I should leave?"

She didn't answer right away.

"I can't decide that for you. Thomas - I mean, Sam had been in a lot of pain these past few years, and I know now that you're part of the source. He changed his name when he decided to forget his past and adapt to his new life as a vampire. But even though he tried to bury the pain and the memories, they were still part of him. But I also think that it's because he has had a hard time forgetting you."

And that put an end to their conversation.

* * *

><p>I woke up around 8:50 in the morning when dim sunlight burst through the maintains, into my bedroom through the large windows and reflected on the clear white walls. I took a quick shower, brushed my teeth and went downstairs in a rush.<p>

Everyone was gathered in the living room, including Jacob who was resting on the couch with Mom and Dad playing scrabble. Uncle Emmett and Aunt Rosalie played chess across the room. Uncle Jasper was reading a thick book of ancient languages with Aunt Alice checking the stock market's rates with her iPad. Grandpa ran through some hospital files, while Grandma doodled with a sketchpad on her lap, but occasionally shifted her attention to Tommy, who stood farthest away from the rest of them, his shoulder rest on the thick glass wall as he looked absentmindedly out the window.

"Ready to go?" Mom asked.

I nodded.

"Wait," Aunt Alice exclaimed suddenly, her eyes stared into nothing. "Let's stay just a few more minutes. I think Thomas needs to hear this."

"Hear what?" Uncle Jasper asked.

Her eyes narrowed. "June's decided to leave town after all. She's gonna call to leave a message."

Tommy turned to stare at her, his eyes more alive than before.

The telephone rang immediately. I crossed over into the living room in one second and sat on the couch arm next to Dad. He put his arm around my waist. I needed that. Whatever the phone was about to record, it wasn't going to be anything good.

No one answered. The phone beeped and asked the caller to leave a message.

_"It's me,"_ June's voice echoed from the speaker. _"I've been thinking about what you said. I know what you have become, and what you must have endured. I know you were trying to keep me safe._

_"I want you to know that I wouldn't have minded. Being with you, even if it means becoming a vampire myself, because I can't imagine living without you. The thought and determination to be with you again was what kept me motivated all these years."_

Her voice shivered a little.

_"But when you told me you didn't want me. That I was causing you pain... that you wanted me to stay out of your life, whatever it is. Then I guess I can only do as you say."_ She paused. I looked at Tommy, his scrunched face emanated pain. _"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about my meeting you and your family, and what you are. That secret stays with me."_ Uncontrollable sobbing echoed through the phone. _"It's just... I never believed we were to end this way. I never imagined... that I would meet you again only to... only to... to lose you one more time. I... _AAAH!_"_

**Thomas**

"Oh, my God," Aunt Alice screamed in fear.

The phone echoed a loud bang, then a skidding sound and then a crashing sound that repeated several times. Then the phone disconnected. Everyone looked in panic.

_Oh, my God._

What happened? What just _happened_? Did she crash? Is she okay? Is she dead?

My mind was overflooded with questions I had no answer to. All of the questions narrowed down one: is June okay?

June.

I couldn't think of her dead. I couldn't think of what terrible fate she must have faced. I couldn't think of what accident she must've been in. _What am I gonna do? What if she's dead?_

My dead heart ached strangely. My breath choked in my throat in a very uncomfortable way.

Edward grabbed my shoulders and shook me harshly.

"Calm down, Thomas!" he urged quickly. "Alice can see that she's still alive."

"But we need to get to her fast," Alice said.

_Where is she?_

"Where is she, Alice?" Emmett asked, as if he'd read my mind and took the question from me.

Her eyes blanked again. "Oregon Coast Highway 101, near Sandlake Road."

I rushed out the door as soon as Alice said the location and darted into the snowy forest with my full speed. I didn't want to lose a single second - the desire to save her was the only thing that motivated me at this point. I didn't want to stay frozen, every passing second could mean the end of her life. If I froze, she really will die. She needed me more than ever.

_Don't freeze! Save June,_ I continued to tell myself.

The forest that usually felt so small suddenly became too big, too thick. Even the snow stuck to the ground was thick like mountains. It was like I couldn't run fast enough.

_Stay focused._

I continued to run straight, and struggled to keep the memory of the road on the surface. Not imagining June dead, lifeless...

_Urgh! Stay focused! June!_

Edward caught up with me in a sec. I could sense the others running soundlessly behind us, even Jacob's loud thudding and huffing echoed from the distance. The forest road came to an end after a long time of running. I dashed through the last set of thick trees and snow into the highway. We stopped on the spot and I looked around the highway for any sign of skidding tires. The moment I saw the marks stained by blood spilled from a dead deer, the smell blew into my face. Mostly the dead deer's blood mixed with gas and smoke, and very faintly, a smell of appetizing blood. Edward realized them too, with his own eyes and through my mind.

I ran toward the edge where the marks flew off the edge of the road. The fragrance of the deer's blood increased - I ignored it completely.

I stopped by the edge when I saw the car. The Suzuki was at least 10 feet down the ravine, flipped upside down and supported by some broken trees that probably got ripped off their roots by the vehicle's weight, but at the same time broke its fall. If they hadn't been there... if they had been any less sturdy, it would have fallen down the ravine and sunken 20 feet under the frozen lake.

My tiny relief was clouded by the sudden breeze that blew a compelling, appetizing fragrance into my face. It was sweeter than anything I had ever tasted. My throat immediately burst into flames, scorchingly parched. The source of the smell promised to end this burning thirst.

I was torn by the vampire that was telling me run down the ravine and kill the girl in the car, and the human that fought to remind me who was in it and who I was. The human and the vampire fought each other hard and relentlessly, both of them tried to persuade me to give in to one of them.

June's face appeared in my head as the human part fought back the vampire's strength, allowing me to focus on what I should be doing. What I came for.

"Thomas," Edward warned. The others' soundless approach came up behind us.

I inhaled the cold air, contained it in my throat and rushed down the ravine. My arm pulled open the driver's door, thrusted it away and half-climbed inside the car with my head. She laid unconsciously upside down, fastened by the seatbelt that held her in place. Small streams of blood dripped from her head, and her widely spread black hair and her left wrist, probably impacted by the fall. The sight of the blood was deliciously appealing even when I couldn't smell it. My throat burned even hotter; the sound of her beating heart promised the end the fiery pain. The vampire tried to rip through my conscience again. I fought to focus on June's face, telling myself what I came here for. To save the girl that I loved so much and bury the vampire back in. In that instant, I was a little relieved to hear her heartbeat - it meant she was alive. But not for long. Not unless I save her.

I put my hand under her head, careful not to hurt her and unfasted the seatbelt around her hips with my other hand. As soon as it fell off, she landed into my arm.

I focused on the task to ignore the warmth of her body as I put her carefully into my arms and carried her out of the car.

"Carlisle," I whispered, releasing little of the oxygen in me.

He appeared in 1/3 of a second and examined June's body. Her mouth breathed and half-opened her eyes as she regained consciousness. Those brown irises turned to me.

"Sam..." she said my name weakly.

I grinned, overwhelmed to hear her voice, to see her look at my face again. But the smell of her blood flowed into my nose and the fire in my throat burned again. I immediately turned away, closed my eyes, fought to hold my breath and pursed my lips. The appealing warmth of her body was no help when it was flooding throughout my whole body.

"It doesn't look like anything serious, but I should take her to the hospital to check her better," Carlisle suggested.

I immediately handed her into his arms and whispered. "Take her."

"Edward."

"On it, Carlisle," he replied and darted into the forest faster than wind.

I heard Carlisle rush up the ravine with June and disappeared. Her body's warmth lingered on the skin of my arms and torso. It got worse when I tried to inhale some fresh air and accidentally swallowed the fragrance of her warm blood.

Compelled by desire, I looked down on hands and saw small drops of blood stained to my palm. My throat burned strongly, the dry feeling now screamed at me to put an end to this torment. _Just drink it and it will end._

I breathed in the scent again - it made my throat burn even more painful.

The vampire inside me was winning, now that my goal had been reached. _Just a little sip to end it._

I lifted my hand and inhaled the smell through my mouth. Venom streamed between my tongue and my teeth. June's blood was more mouthwatering than anything I'd ever tasted. June...

June! June!

Letting out a high pitched shriek, I held my monstrous instincts at bay, and ran toward the lake and jumped through the solid ice. The cold water underneath covered my body completely, including my sense of smell. The steam washed away the blood. But the burning didn't disappear; it lingered in the tissues of my throat, urging me to find more blood to satiate it.

I swam up to the surface again and started to wildly splash water up into the air, over my head, and let the waterdrops fall on me. Somehow, the burn began to ease. I sank underneath again, drowned myself to the bottom as the pain minimized by the second. It was still there, but no longer burned as powerfully.

I did not resurface until Alice and Bella came looking.


	36. Give In, Give Up

**CHAPTER 36 - GIVE IN, GIVE UP**

_**Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful.**_

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><p><strong>June<strong>

My consciousness improved slowly.

I didn't know where I was or what had happened after I was pulled out of the car. The first memory that came to mind was Sam's face.

The first thing I noticed since I came to was the warmth that enveloped my body - my shoulders, arms and face. My eyes were briefly blinded by a bright light above. After they adjusted, I found myself in a white room. The next thing I saw shocked me. Sam was sitting right next to my bed. With those thoughtful golden eyes embedded into the angelic face of my boyfriend, I wasn't sure if I'd died and gone to heaven or if I was dreaming.

"Hey," Sam said in a beautiful voice. "How're you feeling?"

His expression was so different from what I remembered that I wasn't sure how to answer. "Um, a little disoriented."

He smiled, faint dimples formed on his cheeks. He was so handsome that I suddenly felt disoriented in a different way. Dazed. The sullen and agonized feelings weren't anywhere in his face.

"I think I'll have to ask Carlisle to check you with x-ray."

I smiled. Hearing him joke like that reminded me weakly of the good times we used to have. It was like the past 3 and a half years and those short few days never happened. Of course, I knew it did. The world was no longer the same as before, his deep golden eyes were proof of that.

His smile slowly faded as he became thoughtful.

"I'm so sorry, June," he apologized and looked down, his face cringed together in agony. It looked like he was crying. "I didn't mean it when I said I didn't want you here. I'm just... so sorry." He looked up at me again and slowly brushed his cold fingers across my cheek. I grabbed and pressed it there. His skin was harder than normal, uncomfortable and solid like stone, which proved further that things weren't the same anymore. And will never be again.

"I love you, June," he admitted sincerely. "I always have. I never stopped loving you for even a single day. And I'm so sorry..." He closed his eyes as he repeated those last words. Over and over. I released his hand and brushed his facial features with mine. He finally calmed some; his eyes focused on me again with that thoughtful expression. We didn't speak for a long minute, just enjoying the moment. Then he dropped his hand and rose, but his expression didn't change.

"Carlisle's coming to check you," he informed and the door opened.

"I see you're feeling better," the handsome doctor as he approached to examine me.

"Yes, Dr. Cullen," I replied politely in English.

He tested orientation with his tiny flashlight and smoothly examined the wounds I didn't notice I had.

"You need to stay here for a few more days, but I'm sure you'll be just fine. Thomas - I mean, Sam got to you just in time."

I sighed. Everytime they called him Thomas, they corrected themselves for me. Might as well make it easier for them. "Please, Dr. Cullen, you don't need to keep up with me. You can just call him Thomas, like you always have."

"Then I would like for you to start calling me Carlisle," he said with a gentle smile.

"Carlisle."

He examined my arm for a minute and then placed it gently on my chest.

"I'll come back to check on you tomorrow." He turned to Sam. "See you later, Thomas."

He nodded, and Carlisle left the room.

"He needs to hunt," he explained. "It's supposed to be his day-off today. The rest of us have already finished the hunting schedule."

"Hunting schedule?" I wondered.

"We mostly schedule hunting trips to far away from the local town. That way we can be around people more easily without draining out all the animals nearby, otherwise it could be troublesome if we need to hunt unexpectedly. Today's trip was Canada."

I nodded. "Your family really is amazing."

His smile slowly faded into a thoughtful frown.

"June... did you mean it when you said you were willing to join our family?" he asked.

I nodded again. He looked away for a moment.

"Do you realize what this means?" he asked in a low-volumed tone.

I narrowed down the list 2 nights before, so it wasn't hard to know. I nodded again.

"I know the consequences and the sacrifices I'll be making."

"Sleeping, eating, aging and the opportunity to have children," he interjected.

"My humanity." I was ready to offer it if that was the price to be with him forever.

He brushed my hand. "Your entire past, including the people you care about so much."

That caught me off guard. All this time, I had been thinking about the sacrifices of giving up my humanity and the changes that my body will go through. I hadn't thought about the people I was gonna leave behind. But even if that was part of the sacrifice, I would gladly hand it over on a plattern.

I would give away anything but Sam. Losing him 3 and a half years ago changed the world into a living hell for me. And today, when I was leaving, it felt like I was going back into that world for good. I didn't want to go back if there was any way around it.

"When you disappeared, Sam, it was more painful than anything I'd ever lived through," I began to explain. "For a while, I couldn't live like a real person. I didn't feel _alive_. That was why I decided to find you, to go against my father's orders and leave home for good. I know who I can't live without. And I'm willing to pay any price if that means I could stay with you forever. Even my own humanity."

He looked away from me again. I thought he was thinking that I was crazy to give up everything for him. Maybe I was, but I didn't care. Then he looked back at me with a gleaming smile on his face. "You haven't changed at all, have you? You always knew what you wanted."

I smiled back weakly. "Neither have you. You always put yourself through torment before others', even small ones."

He rested his head carefully on my side. I slowly ran my fingers through his solid-hard hair. It was so weird: his skin, his hair, his eyes. Everything about him changed so drastically, and yet he didn't feel _different_ to me.

Suddenly, I wanted to do one thing. Something I hadn't done in 3 and a half years: it was buried deep inside of me when Sam disappeared from my life. But now that I had him back, so was it.

I breathed.

_You're here with me,_

_And now we're free._

_I searched everywhere, wide and far._

_Looking into everywhere and there you are._

_Eyes shines of gold, our love burns as bright._

_Now, I know we are in the light._

He closed his eyes and listened intently.

_You're here with me,_

_All lovely and free._

_Now I know all those lonely years are past,_

_'Cuz I've found you at last._

_You're here with me._

His eyes re-opened and focused on me.

"I haven't heard you sing for a long time," he commented.

I grinned. He was not the only one - I hadn't heard my own singing voice in a long time. And now, having him back had brought it back to the surface.

**Jacob**

Everybody split away after the hunting trip. Tommy had gone to visit June at the hospital, Alice and Jasper went to the hospital to watch over them with Carlisle; Esme went home to finish some work for the gallery's convention next week. Emmett went with Rosalie to go shopping in Portland. And Edward and Bella accompanied me and Nessie in the woods. It wasn't after Edward got a call from Carlisle that we decided to head home.

The family had all gathered in the dining room table by the time we got back.

We seated on the last available spots around the table. Carlisle took the middle seat - as the family leader's position, and Tommy sat next to him. They both shot serious glances at me, but I didn't know what that meant. Edward sighed deeply and looked down on the table. He must've heard the uneasiness in their thoughts. _Oh, this isn't good._

Tommy shut his eyes for a moment and took shallow breaths, and then he straightened himself and spoke.

"As you all know, June knows who we are, what we are," he acknowledged nervously. "And after today, I realized what I should've wanted." It took a moment before he continued. "June has decided to become one of us, and she knows what it means and how much she's giving up. And I agreed. But I want to be fair to all of you, because this doesn't just concern me, but our entire family. That is why I want to hear your thoughts." He glanced at all of us, one at a time. He emitted worry when he looked at me. "It's not that I won't do it anyway, but I want to hear what you think."

He looked at Bella and Edward, who shared genuine looks before they answered.

"I can understand what you're going through, Thomas. It's something that we can relate," Edward spoke with a grin. "So you have my support."

"Thanks, Eddie."

"I know what it's like to lose someone you love," Bella began, "and it's not something that I would wish upon anyone else, so if there's anything I can do to help..." she trailed off, but her message was percepted perfectly.

Tommy nodded and then moved on to Alice - like we all did. She smiled at him widely.

"After the accident today, I had a clear vision of June's future," she acknowledged. "I saw her as one of us and bringing more joy to the family than we already have - not that we don't have enough, anyway. I already see her as a sister, so I'm looking forward to it."

I snorted sarcastically. Of course she would love June as her sister: she loved Bella as one, too.

"I got no problem with her," Jasper shared his opinion with a business-like voice. "But if June's to become a vampire, we need to move her somewhere far away from human population so that she won't hurt anyone."

"We could go to Denali, I'm sure Tanya and the others'll be more than willing to help," Emmett suggested.

Rosalie was the first to raise a tone. "Excuse me, maybe we're not thinking clearly here. We can't just move out of town all of a sudden. It'll attract too much attention from the residents. And it is enough trouble that Martie already knows who we are."

"Rose is right, the lesser of us moving out of town, the better," Esme agreed calmly. "Maybe just three of us is enough."

This meeting of opinions was slowly turning into one of suggestions.

Nessie held my hand but showed nothing. Her worry was really clear, though. I knew what she was worried about: my opinion.

To be honest, I didn't like the idea of adding another vampire into existence, but underneath the surface, there was one good thing out of all this. At least June'll be a Cullen, one of the animal-feeding vampires, and part of Nessie's family.

But more importantly, I knew how fond of June Nessie had grown, and letting her become one of them was what she wanted for both Tommy and herself. So I had no saying in the matter.

There was one last thing, though. One last obstable. My ancestor, Ephraim Black, made a treaty with the Cullens which forbid them from hunting on their lands and biting a human, whether it was for sustenance or transformation. I made one exception for Bella 7 years ago to save her from dying from her life-threatening pregnancy with Nessie.

Might as well make one for June, too. But a compromise will have to be made this time.

"Thomas and Carlisle have already thought of a way around the treaty, but I guess a compromise is reasonable," Edward answered my thought.

Carlisle turned to him. "What is it, Edward?"

"Jacob was thinking about the treaty and what it meant to make June one of us, and he was ready to make an exception for a compromise."

He nodded. "Yes, of course. Thomas has come up with a way around it, but I do want to be fair to you, Jacob."

"What do you mean a way around it, exactly?" I asked. _A new way around the treaty?_

Tommy explained.

"Carlisle told me what Edward did to turn Bella 7 and a half years ago while delivering Nessie. About how he injected venom straight into her heart. And then seeing how the treaty specified that none of us is allowed to bite a human to make her a vampire, a thought occured to me."

"Wait, are you saying you're going to inject vampire venom into June's heart to change her?" The methods were just getting newer and newer, like technology and the changing times. Of course not many vampires would think of this new way. Tommy and Bella were the only ones born in the latest decades, so he was probably the first to come up with this new idea. Pretty soon, the vampire creation will be completely renewed and a treaty will be pointless.

"It's not if you edit it, too," Edward argued.

_Urgh! You're annoying me, Edward._

He snorted.

"What?" Bella asked, eyeing between me and him. Nessie did the same, too.

Editing the treaty, that'll be something new. Yeah, well, that will mean adding a new condition.

"Jacob was annoyed by the new method, and he was thinking that the treaty was becoming useless."

She looked at me with a sympathetic look. Nessie looked at me with the same expression, her hand nudged mine, and then all the annoyance dissipated. I held my other hand over hers and smiled widely.

"Jacob..." Tommy called my name apologetically. "I'm sorry..."

"It's okay, Tommy. Don't worry about it. I understand where you're coming from with this. I pretty much went through the same. That's why I'll add a new condition when this is over. The treaty does have a purpose, you know."

He nodded understandingly.

"What's the new condition?" Emmett asked obliviously, irritated. I was amused, he was always the one to miss the obvious. Edward and Jasper grinned. Amused, too.

"Simple, no more vampire venom injections after June," I explained.

Tommy grinned and nodded. Carlisle patted Tommy's shoulder with a generous grin and Esme held his hand.

Then he turned to the rest of us and said sincerely. "Thank you."


	37. Vision

**CHAPTER 37 - VISION**

**Message: **_**Sorry it took so long for update. I've been on a mind-freeze lately and decided to end the chapter to keep it from running too long.**_

_**Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful.**_

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><p><strong>Bella<strong>

The next week was practically scheduled with arrangements for June. Thomas visited her every day at the hospital, and kept watch on her after visiting hours. He'd had too much free time since Edward helped him apply to a sabbatical from school. He taught her everything he knew about being a vampire. The capabilities, the urges, the frozen state even the problems that she will probably encounter as a newborn. Jasper and Edward weren't as confident about her self-control, though. Unlike me, she only had a very limited amount of time to prepare herself mentally and physically for the change, which was reduced to weeks instead of months. Even Thomas went through the same state before he learned to compose himself: I remembered how I had to constantly be around Renesmee during his first year.

So I was definitely the first vampire in existence to skip over that state.

Edward and Carlisle decided it was best to wait for her to leave before they could fake her death and take her up to Alaska where they believed was the best place to change her. Tanya and the other Denalis had already agreed to help, and gotten the medical equipment that Carlisle needed.

Jake called Sam in Forks to inform him of the new addition to the treaty. He thought it was clever to add a new restriction, too. And I had to agree. The treaty existed to maintain peace between the Cullens and the Quileutes. If we changed June by injection, it would make the treaty pointless to exist at all. And it wouldn't be easy for either side to exist anymore. So an addition to the treaty was a good idea.

Other than the arrangements, the days passed in routines. We went to school, Esme and Carlisle went to work. But even the silence, Martie could tell that something was going on when Edward and Jasper helped Thomas apply to sabbatical.

"Someone is about to join our family," was all that Nessie would tell.

"You mean, as a vampire?" he asked nervously. I realized the question that had been in his mind without Edward's help. _Who would be crazy enough to become a vampire?_

Then again, who would be crazy enough to hang around 7 vampires, a half-vampire and a hugely built shape-shifter?

Nessie, Esme, Jasper, Alice, Jacob and I waited on the porch when Carlisle's car drove off the highway. Emmett and Rosalie had gone hunting - like me at first, Rose wasn't very fond of June's involvement, but at least she was a little more accepting. It made me slightly jealous.

The car stopped in front of the house and Thomas supported June out of it. Carlisle waited until Edward took out the bagage and then moved into the garage. June's injured leg kept her from walking steadily, and Thomas had his arm on hers to support. Edward walked slowly behind them, although I knew he could easily walk past them. Even a human could.

"Are you okay, June?" Esme asked June sympathetically and walked down the stairs and offered her arm.

June looked into her eyes for a moment, and then accepted her assistance and said, "Thank you, Esme."

I grinned. She was already accepting the family that had accepted her.

Alice eagerly waited for them to reach the top of the stairs. Edward snorted at her excited thoughts.

"Hi, June," she greeted enthusiastically. "I haven't officially introduced myself, I'm Alice. Thomas's sister."

June grinned back. "I see, you're the one he nicknamed 'Phoebe'... because you see the future."

Alice gloated at Thomas for the nickname, her enthusiasm vanished.

"I'm Jasper, nice to meet you," Jasper interjected and offered his hand, ending the minor tension. They shook.

"Pleasure."

"C'mon, let's get you inside before you freeze," Thomas suggested. We made way for them to enter.

June looked around the inside as she took in its beauty. I was instantly reminded of the first time I entered the Cullen residence. This one was 1/3 bigger, but just as incomparably beautiful. Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, Jasper and Alice accepted me as much as they did to June now; even Rosalie showed the similar amount of dislike toward her.

It felt funny to reminisce those moments. To see someone else relive part of my human life. Only difference was now we also had Renesmee, Jacob and Thomas in our family now. And now, we were about to add another.

As soon as they went into the living room, Edward flashed upstairs into Esme's study - which had been renovated into a guest room. Alice filled the closet with overly fashionable outfits the night before, and Emmett and Jasper brought a new bed, sheets, pillows and blankets. Renesmee and I took the liberty to drive to China Town in Portland for some food shopping, because Thomas _insisted_ that she should have the opportunity to eat her favorite meals one last time before her system became incompatible with solid food. Edward would have come along if he didn't have errands of his own to run. I was going to call for J's services in a few short days.

Thomas helped June to the living room sofa. Carlisle joined us shortly.

We all observed at the small couple from the hallway, letting their happiness touch us.

"Are you hungry, June?" he asked gently. "I'm sure you must be famished after a whole day."

She grinned at him. Clearly she was still amazed by the idea of having him stand in front of her, like she had awoken from a 3 years-long nightmare of loneliness.

"Um, actually I'm a little hungry," she answered after a long moment.

He grinned back. "I'm sure we got something in the kitchen. I'll be right back."

He began to leave the sofa, but she caught his arm.

"Please, stay with me?" she pleaded with a suddenly anxious voice. He smiled gently back at her and sat on the sofa.

"Whatever you say."

"I'll make something for you, June," Esme offered and darted into the kitchen.

Thomas turned his head to the kitchen for a short moment and thanked her, and then faced June again.

"Let's go help Grandma out," Nessie suggested and started pulling me and Jacob toward the kitchen. Jake winced at me, like he knew what she was thinking, even though she wasn't showing anything.

Carlisle walked upstairs to finish some last hospital work. Alice and Jasper drifted into the main hall.

"We're gonna go run some errands," she said, and then a little louder. "Edward!"

He was back in a second and tossed what sounded like keys into the air. She caught it easily and darted out the front door with Jasper.

"Where did they go?" June asked curiously, like she didn't feel disturbed by their exit.

"To wreck your car," Thomas half-teased. "Which is hidden in the woods nearby."

Edward gave June and Thomas a few pointers on the guest room, and then joined us in the already crowded kitchen.

Emmett and Rosalie came back by the time we finished cooking the fried rice.

"Hello, June," Emmett greeted friendly. "I'm Emmett: Thomas's big brother, though he's older than me in one way."

Thomas scuffed.

"Hello, Emmett," June greeted back. "It's nice to meet you. - And hello, you must be Rosalie..."

There was no reply; then after a few seconds, soundless footsteps moved up the stairs and closed a door.

"Excuse me," Emmett said, and followed Rosalie upstairs.

Silence again, except for our cooking in the kitchen.

"Ignore her, she's always like that," Thomas assured her. "We already have a human friend knowing about us. It's a little disturbing now that we have another one about to join our family. It's a little difficult for her, I heard her behavior was the same when Bella joined us."

"Why?"

"You mean why, as in why she was difficult to Bella, or why she is being like that to you?"

"Why do you have a human knowing your secret?"

"Oh... well, it wasn't really up to us. You see, he's from our high school in this town, and he saw my niece, Renesmee, during an unconventional circumstance. Nessie cares about him a lot, so telling him the truth was the only option."

"How did it work out?"

"He cares about Nessie a lot, too, so even though it was a little difficult at first, he came through for her. He's kept our secret and accepted us like we were regular people, except that now he knows about us."

"But didn't you say if a human finds out about... you guys, then those royal vampires... the, uh...?" she trailed off, but I knew whom she was referring to.

"Volturi? Yeah, which is why we haven't planned to let them know. Hopefully we'll be able to keep it from them.

"I've never met them, but I hear they have some really huge problems with our family. And now that I'm a part of it, and Martie knowing about us, we'll be in more trouble than we can get out of if they find out. According to Edward, the leader, Aro, is very greedy, and he likes to collect vampires with useful skills such as mine. It's pretty much their habit, collecting. Of course, since they got their powerful twins, Jane and Alec, no one has ever been able to even touch them. I don't see what I can give, but he says that my power far, far exceeds theirs, so it wouldn't be impossible that he would want me when he finds out about. Plus, he also wants Alice, Edward and Bella into his collection. Not to mention some of our other friends."

June breathed nervously. "And now, they have a reason to."

He didn't answer right away: we froze. Esme barely moved her arm to stir the cooking pot. Nessie and Jake were washing vegetables, but otherwise didn't move as much.

"I wouldn't be too worried," Thomas finally said in a sure voice. "You see, about 4 years before me, they held a trial against Carlisle and the others; they mistook Nessie for an immortal child - that is a child that's been transformed into a vampire - and tried to punish them for it. But they gathered several witnesses to prove them wrong. Of course, they had the werewolves and a older vampire hybrid to back them up, but what really bothered them was Bella's power."

Jacob and Nessie handed me the washed vegetables and I chopped them apart; Edward handed Esme the liquid egg yolk in a bowl but shot a proud glance at me over his shoulder, which was embarrassing. It didn't help that Esme was beaming with the same glances in my direction.

"Her block against psychic powers?" June asked rhetorically. "How did that help?"

The attention slowly shifted back to the couple in the living room as we listened. Nessie poured a glass of water while Jacob drifted to the windows.

"Well, according to our cousins up north," Thomas continued, "most of the gifted vampires possess psychic superpowers. Only a small portion of us get physical powers, like moving stuff with your mind or all that other stuff. The Volturi's best guards, Jane and Alec, can create illusions of burning pain and cut off your senses. And their linchpin, Chelsea, has the power to manipulate other people's emotional bonds, that's how they recruit new members. But their powers only work by implanting the effect into the mind.

"Bella was completely immune to those powers when she was human, so naturally her gift was greatly enhanced when she turned. By the time I joined them, she was already really skilled. She was the only one who couldn't see, hear, touch or smell my pictures. It almost drove me insane when I found out." His voice twisted a little bit at the last sentence.

June laughed a little, and we all echoed from the kitchen. I handed the chopped vegetables to Edward just as Esme finished the noodles.

"Since when did you become such a show-off?" June wondered.

Thomas chuckled. "Since I learned the benefits of being a vampire," he answered.

**Renesmee**

Jacob left for work after he helped Grandma with the cooking. Things went pretty much quietly and smoothly through the whole day. Tommy took June into the guest room after lunch time and remained in there for the rest of the day. While everyone else was busy in their own activities, Mom called J. Jenks's for his service to help forge a new documentation under the name 'Christina June Yu', at June's own insistence. She didn't want her name on the front because of the potential problems it might cause if someone realized the similarities.

Alice and Jasper didn't come home until around 11 while I was in the shower, getting ready for bed. Through the running and dripping water, my ears were still excellent in listening to their conversation.

"Did you take care of the car, Alice?" Uncle Emmett asked casually. He was probably still watching the seasonal baseball game on TV.

"Yes, I've driven it off the cliff into the Tillamook Bay and made sure there were witnesses before I got out of the car," Aunt Alice answered his question. "Jasper picked me up on the other side..." she gasped.

They stopped talking.

"What is it, Alice?" Dad asked, he sounded confused. "What's happening in Forks?"

I was confused, too. Was something going to happen? What?

"What do you see?" Mom asked, confused too.

"I-I'm not sure," she replied insecurely. "It came out of nowhere. I... I can't even see clearly to make out anything. The wolves are..." her voice hardened when she said the last words.

"I know," Dad said calmly. "I'll have Jacob contact Emily."

I couldn't discriminate what was going on upstairs. What did Aunt Alice see? Is something bad going to happen? What?

"Allice, would you mind going to Nessie and tell her about your vision, please?" Dad asked after he heard my thought and picked up the anxiety behind it.

I super-sped to change my clothes before Aunt Alice darted to the outside of my bedroom, and knocked on my door before she opened. Mom, Uncle Emmett, Uncle Jasper, and Aunt Rosalie appeared behind her, Grandma and Grandpa a half-second behind.

Upstairs, I could hear Dad's cellphone beep as it waited for someone to receive its signal.

I sat on the end of my bed and waited. Aunt Alice sat down beside me while Mom sat on the other end. The others drifted to other corners of my room. Her unreadable expression made me a little nervous; Uncle Jasper mimicked her expression as he picked up her feelings. Whatever she saw wasn't good.

"What did you see?" I asked when she didn't speak.

She shrugged. "I'm sorry, Nessie. I wasn't able to see clearly. All I could tell was that it wasn't something good... but that's only my hunch, so I can't be completely sure."

"We'll know something soon, Nessie, I'm sure," Mom assured. "I wouldn't be too worried, though. Sam and the others are tough, they can protect themselves."

Yes, she was right. The wolves were tougher than anything I'd ever known. Except for one. The powerful Volturi; the dominant coven of vampires with incredibly powerful talents.

Of course, we didn't know if they were the ones roaming the forest of Forks. But Aro knew about them as much as we, not to mention he knew Aunt Alice's power better than anyone else. He could figure out a way to avoid her sight.

Mom patted my shoulder reassuringly.

Upstairs, I heard Dad end the conversation with his cellphone and rushed to my room. He walked to my side and patted my head.

"Don't worry, Nessie," he assured. "I don't think the Volturi'll do something that will put their reputation on jeopardy. They know what the wolves can do."

I instantly felt a little calmer. He was right, after all. Besides, until the problem came to surface, it really wasn't necessary to worry. Might as well cool it and wait for Jake to confirm what was going on.

"Get some sleep, Sweetheart," Mom said and kissed the back of my head.

I nodded and climbed into my bed. Mom put the blanket over me, everyone kissed my forehead, wished me good night and left. After Mom closed the door behind her, I shut my eyes and thought about nothing.

And then I felt nothing.

* * *

><p>I was awakened by the sound of a playing piano. It rang in my ears in a gentle, soothing way. I was sure it was Dad playing, and for a moment I thought the singing voice was Mom. But then I realized it wasn't her voice - it was June's.<p>

I listened a little more intently. Her human voice sounded like a peal of ringing bells to my ears. It fit well with the piano's music. Her voice was immensely charming.

I wanted to hear more clearly, so I leaped out of my bed and landed by the door and rushed upstairs. Mom and Dad stood at the doorway to the living room. My vision was blocked by their backs, but the others were in there, too.

Mom and Dad turned to me and opened their arms, allowing me to slid under them and see the inside.

Uncle Emmett and Aunt Rosalie stood by the window, Aunt Alice and Uncle Jasper sat on the big couch while Grandma and Grandpa stood at the end of the playing piano. All of their glances focused on Tommy and June, who sat at the head of the piano, playing and singing.

I was beyond surprise. Tommy had never played the piano or any other musical instrument a single time in front of me before, and I'd never known that he knew music. Yet the fingers of his right hand slid and pressed the notes like a professional. It was no closer to Dad's skills, but he was still amazing.

What really caught my attention though, was June's singing. It was mesmerizingly beautiful. Her voice reminded me of all the voices I'd heard from my family and our friends. All of them were vampires.

So this was really new to me. June sang as smoothly as the piano, holding every note with perfect synchronization.

Her song was about new love with good resolutions, the feeling of first love in fairytale style. I loved it so much that I wanted them to continue. Somehow, I found it very relative to my life and to my parents'.

The song glided slowly to an end.

Everyone clapped, including the frowning Aunt Rosalie. Some of us closed in on them.

"Wow, you're like really good at that," Aunt Alice said with a huge grin across her face. "This home is gonna be 10 times happier with you around."

June blushed. "It... it's just singing, it's not really that special. I hear Edward here is already an excellent musician."

Aunt Alice creased together her brows, but her smile didn't falter. "Trust me, I see things almost as clearly as blue sky at times, and I can _see_ that you're gonna be a very great impact on us."

June's grin widened a little bit.

"Did you write that song?" Grandma asked.

She nodded. "I wrote it in high school." Her focus changed to Tommy. "When he inspired me to write my own song."

Dad laughed through his closed mouth. Then, suddenly, his expression changed completely. The smile on his face fell into a deep frown. He turned to the glass window. I realized he must've been bothered by someone's thoughts. I wondered whose it was.

"Jake's coming," Aunt Alice said in an irritated voice, her smile fell, too.

He turned to us again, his eyes had a dark, cold expression. Mom hadn't missed his shift.

"Edward, what's wrong?" she asked.

He looked at me deliberately. "He's coming to tell us that he's going back to Forks."

"What?" My voice sounded almost yelling. "Why?"

Why all of a sudden?

"He'll tell you when he comes." He pepped my head, like he did last night. But I still couldn't understand.

Why? Did Aunt Alice's hunch come true? Did something happen in Forks?

Grandma went into the kitchen to prepare warm breakfast for me and June, and I went back into my room to change out of my pajamas. Jake's bike hit the area and left the highroad by the time I finished dressing up.

I darted upstairs and opened before he could knock.

"Hey, Nessie," he greeted casually, his lips pulled behind his teeth.

"Hey," I replied with a tiny smile.

His smile faltered a little as he thought through whatever he was about to tell me. "I guess Edward told you everything, huh?"

"Um, actually he said you would tell me."

Mom and Dad came into the hallway together.

"Hey, Jake," Mom greeted, grinning.

He nodded politely. "Bella. Edward."

As much as the casual conversation was pleasant, I wanted to know what was going on. "Is something wrong?"

He refocused on me and took a shallow breath, but his smile remained happy and real. "Come take a walk with me, Nessie. I'll explain everything. Grab your shoes and your coat."

We, Jake, Mom, Dad and I, walked into the snowy forest. When we stopped, we were at least 100 yards away from the house. Out of hearing range from the others. Jake and Dad's faces shared a genuinely deep frown. I was suddenly nervous and anxious.

Jacob leaned against a thin tree and took two shallow breaths before he finally spoke. "Sam and the others are missing."

I blinked in shock. "What?"

"What happened?" Mom asked in the same anxious voice.

"After Edward told me that something was on its way into Forks, I called Sam to warn him. He was supposed to call me later, but he didn't. And Seth called me this morning, and told me that the pack had mysteriously disappeared. They don't know what happened. All they got was a lot of vampire stench in the area. Seth and Ricky recognized some of it from the same vampire that attacked us last year at the Halloween party. They tried to follow the trail, but it ended in the ocean. No one's seen them since then."

It didn't make any sense. What could have happened for the entire pack to disappear? Did Sam and his wolves follow the vampires out of Forks?

"That doesn't make any sense, how did they make the pack disappear?" Mom asked.

His face creased in agony. "That's what we don't know."

His expression cleared up the first part of the confusion for me. "So you're going home to investigate?"

He gaped, but said nothing. That was all I needed.

I nodded understandingly. "You have to."

He shook his head in disagreement and approached. "No, I don't. Not if you don't want me to." His eyes shunned innocence and sadness. "_If_ you don't want me to go, then you just say the word."

I deliberated the _if_. _If_ I asked him to stay, he would be torn by misery. Then again, I wouldn't know what it will be like if he had been gone. We'd parted from each other, even when my mother was pregnant with me. He told me that I was the object of his imprint, and that was why he came along no matter where I went.

So how will it feel if he wasn't with me anymore?

A part of me felt hollow by the thought. I didn't understand. This wasn't anything I'd ever experienced before. It was really disturbing. My first instinct was to tell him to stay.

_But what about Sam? What about the others?_ my saner side argued.

Yes, Sam and the others were in potential danger. This case wasn't anything natural, and the local police probably could never get too involved if they searched. This wasn't any regular case.

There were vampires on the loose. Tommy's murderers. And Jake's family could be in danger, too.

I can't be selfish. This was greater than keeping my own comfort zone. Emily and her family needed Sam. Kim needed Jared. Rachel needed Paul more than ever now that she had Lydia, a baby who needed her father. Jake needed to at least make sure she was all right.

Maybe I should just go with him. Then, we wouldn't have to separate.

"No, Renesmee," Dad argued with a harsh voice. Mom looked at him in surprise and then looked at me.

"He won't be able to focus if he knows you're in potential danger," he continued. "You can't follow. Besides, we've already attracted attention by Thomas's departure. Jake's unexpected need for a break will attract even more, and it'll get worse if we follow."

I wanted nothing more than to argue with him. But there wasn't anything I could use to argue that point.

He was right. Ridiculously right.

I breathed deeply, forced a smile on my face and placed my hand on Jacob's chin. _You should go, Jake._

His russet lips fell open, as though my decision surprised him. There was reluctance in his expression, too.

When he didn't speak, I did.

"Hurry back, and promise you'll call me once a day."

Those lips pursed together again, his chin was shrouded by thick stubble. "I promise. And I'll come as soon as I can. It won't take longer than a few days," he promised sorely.

I nodded. His face slowly lit into a composed smile just as a thought occured to me. It was something that he had agreed to let me do when he lost a bet to me not so long ago.

I held his hand and showed an image of me shaving his chin and cutting his hair.

His composed smile turned into a glow. Dad burst into laughter as he heard the entertainment in our thoughts. I looked over my shoulder at him. Mom looked at him curiously, but she was smiling too.

"C'mon," I said, pulling him back toward the house.

Everyone drifted to their own activities after Dad broke the news. After Jake and I finished up Grandma's food, Aunt Alice fetched the haircut gear.

Jake sat incredibly still and let me run the scissors and comb through his hair.

"Wow, when did you learn how to cut hair?" Jake asked while I severed the hairstrings.

"Since Mom, Aunt Rosalie and Aunt Alice started cutting mine," I replied.

After I was done with his hair, I moved on to shaving his chin.

"Okay, I know how good you are at hair cutting, but do you know how to shave someone else?" he wondered.

I glared at him, pretending to be upset. "Are you doubting my skills?"

He crunched his face expression to make himself look cute and yet teasing, and shook his head. It made me laugh.

"I did a little researching after I won the bet. Now, hold still," I commanded. And he did.

He had his eyes closed as I carefully ran the shaver across his face and his throat, only moving his face when I needed him to.

"Wow, you're good," he complimented when I ran the towel across his face. "I'll probably save a lot of time and money if you would shave me and cut my hair from now on."

I blushed.

"I'll start working when you come back," I said, joking. But as soon as I mentioned it, my core ached a little. I struggled to hold it back.

His smile faltered a little bit.

"Nessie..." he trailed off. "I promise - no. I _swear_ I'll come back as soon as possible. You can count on me."

"I know. So hurry back."

He smiled widely, and learned forth to kiss me. I reciprocated passionately.


	38. Sky Above and Ocean Below

**CHAPTER 38 - SKY ABOVE AND OCEAN BELOW**

_**Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Renesmee<strong>

It had been one day since Jacob left Cloverdale. And soon, Tommy and Grandpa will leave for Alaska with June, too. It suddenly felt like half of my family was splitting.

Martie was getting more involved with our cryptic needs to take breaks, but didn't push for information.

But there were a few things that I could tell him.

"Jake's gone home because some prominent members of his tribe have disappeared," I told him while quizzing him for an upcoming test at his home. "He and his team are going to investigate."

"Oh," he said. "Did he say how long he'll be gone?"

"Couple of days," I answered as casually as I tried to think. "All they could be sure of was the trail came from the same vampires that crashed the Halloween party last year."

He shivered at the memory. I fought the reminiscence, too. It was his witness that prompted my decision to tell him the truth. But then again, our friendship became much deeper since that incident. Of all humans, Martie was the first I made friends with since I moved to Cloverdale. Hopefully it will stay that way for a while. Our study night ended around when Julie stopped by his house for dinner, and I left - because I didn't want any trouble with her when there were more important things to deal with.

When I got home, Tommy had us all assembled in the living room. Everyone, except Dad, was curious.

Tommy braced himself and spoke his mind. "I made a promise to Nessie last year that I would take her flying and swimming. Unfortunately, tonight's the only timing for me to carry out the promise. June and I will leave for Alaska tomorrow, and I don't know how long it will take before we come back. That's why I want to fulfill my promise... but I also want the rest of my family to experience it, to feel the fun of my powers."

Some of them exchanged looks. Dad grinned hugely at Mom, and then Grandma and Grandpa, and Aunt Alice smiled, too. I was excited, too.

"Try to let go of your shield, 'kay, Bella?" Dad encouraged. She nodded and then closed her eyes, and worked to remove her mental shield.

Tommy looked at June. She smiled and nodded encouragingly. Then, he turned to us again and concentrated. I braced myself for the upcoming illusion. But my preparation did not free me from the shock when I suddenly felt my body floating off the ground. I was really excited by the lack of gravity. This wasn't anything I experienced before. I had touched, smelled, seen, heard, even tasted things that weren't there, but the freedom from gravitational force was entirely new.

Tommy smiled proudly as the others moaned in amazement and shock. When Mom giggled and looked at her feet, I realized that she was 'feeling' it, too. I held to her hand and showed her the images through my eyes, just in case she lost her grip on the shield. Dad swayed to my side and held my other hand.

"Okay, guys, hope you're ready for my style of fun," Tommy said. And then our bodies started floating up toward the ceiling as it dissipated. We were out of the house in seconds and flew up into the night sky, with Tommy and June taking the lead. I looked down and watched the Earth shrink beneath us, showing the size of our house, the large forest and the highroads. We all laughed out our lungs. This was the most beautiful scenery ever. I showed Mom what I was seeing, just in case she missed it. She laughed as loudly as the rest of us, though I wasn't sure if she was living the vision herself or through my power.

We reached the white clouds in seconds. When we came out, we were flying down a bridge of numerous brilliant stars and bathing in clear white moonlight. I looked down, and saw the mini features of the Earth. It was _so_ cool. Tommy and June spread one of their free arms to open space while holding onto each other with their other hands, like one wing that couldn't fly before had been attached to the other. Everyone else started imitating the move, Uncle Emmett and Aunt Rosalie; Grandpa and Grandma, Uncle Jasper and Aunt Alice; Dad and Mom held both of my hands, like we were three peas in a pod - they were the wings, and I was the torso. It made me happy to know how much a part of them I was. Mom reached for the intangible clouds with her free hand, laughing the whole time.

"Woohoo!" Uncle Emmett screamed in excitement.

Up ahead, we could hear June sing a lullaby inspired the occasion. I closed my eyes and listened intently.

_"No more boundaries of the Earth,"_

_"No more restraints or captivity."_

_"Cuz we fly through the stars"_

_"And seek to be free."_

_"Under the clouds, there was no way to see..."_

_"The endless lines of possibilities."_

_"No matter how hard you reach for the moon,"_

_"It was just a dream of gloom."_

_"So this is so new! This is so new..."_

_"No more boundaries of the Earth,"_

_"No more restraints or captivity."_

_"Now we cross the skies,"_

_"And seek to be free."_

_"Seek to be free... seek to be free..."_

Tommy laughed and said. "All right, everyone, get ready! We're going down!"

Before I could answer, my body felt slightly heavy as gravity began to pull me downward again. The pressure was exceptionally light, though, and we all flew down like falling feathers.

We were out of the cloud banks again in a short minute.

I laughed at the breeze that blew in my face. I knew it wasn't really there, but it was so real. Everything was so real. Even the small island below.

As we lowered, I could see the pointy peaks and the firetorches that tangled the island's village like night lights. The scenery reminded me of the appearance of a Christmas tree. It was so beautiful that it could only have from a Viking fairytale.

Our speed increased as we flew steadily across a valley of large rock pillars connected to the land above and the ocean below. Some of us flew in-between the pillars, too.

The island was behind us in a few minutes, and we were flying across the blue ocean that reflected the dawning sunlight.

"Everyone," Tommy called. "We're going into the sea! Get ready!"

The gravitional force pulled us down - of course, it was all in our heads - and we glided into the water. Everything I wore disappeared with the stream that rushed through my body. I knew the water wasn't suffocating, so I inhaled it like breathing in air. It filled my lungs in a very weird way. Weird - because it felt like a part of my breathing system, part of my body.

I couldn't feel my legs, instead I felt something strange and unfamiliar from my waist down. When I looked down, my eyes were mesmerized by the fishtail with bright white and silver scales that attached to my lower body, and a bra strapped around my chest with the same scale colors. I was dazed by my new marine appearance.

I was a _mermaid_.

So were the others, though only the women wore a bra that fit with their tail's respective marine appearances. The first I noticed was Mom and her aquamarine tail, which fit perfectly with her floating brown hair and golden eyes, though she didn't look very pleased at the shiny beauty. She was so beautiful; Dad's tail was a deep bronze with a fin behind him; Grandpa's golden tail glittered almost as brilliantly as sunlight, though its appearance resembled a goldfish; Grandma had a unique deep purple color with yellow shades on her tail, it could only have come from a mermaid in a fairytale; Aunt Rosalie's tail complimented her name - red like a rose; Uncle Emmett had smooth black tail that resembled an orca; Aunt Alice had a pink, shiny tail with white spots that not only expressed her beauty, but also her sweet, happy-go-lucky personality. No doubt Tommy had also thought of her that way - a happy sister; Uncle Jasper's green tail was thinner than the others' but seemed swifter as well. Tommy had a beluga tail and a dorsal fin, and June an orange one with a fin attached to her back. It looked like the mermaids of "H2O: Just Add Water", except with black hair.

We began swimming around the blue ocean floor. I swung my arms and my body up and down, imitating the H2O-mermaid's moves. Aunt Alice swirl-danced as she swam, Uncle Jasper simply observed. Aunt Rosalie and Uncle Emmett held hands as they danced around with some underwater moves. Grandma ran the back of her hand on a sea turtle with Grandpa watching.

Though we swam as swiftly in the sea as we ran on land, what really amazed me was the scenery of the ocean. The life that could only exist on TV, the elegance and beauty that rarely existed in most seas. Corals of different colors spread wide and around, fishes of different species that lurked the rocks, around us and near the surface. Even though the sea creatures were fake in my realization, they were as alive as anyone could comprehend. A pod of 20 bottlenose dolphins suddenly appeared and swam in our direction. Mom warily touched one of them. She was probably not used to seeing animals come to her rather than running away. June was the only other person who touched the dolphins. Aunt Rosalie swam toward a silvery oyster that was as big as her hand. She slowly reached for it, then it opened up suddenly. Uncle Emmett quickly snatched the white pearl inside and handed it to her. She smiled at the little gift and kissed him passionately. I wondered if they knew the pearl in their hands will disappear at any second.

Tommy grinned widely at her and then looked to each of us. His glance stopped in my direction for a short moment, and one of the dolphins suddenly swam to my side and pressed its back to my arm with a happy shriek. Enthusiastically, I grabbed its fin and then it swam toward the surface, pulling me along. We leaped 7 feet into the air the moment we hit the surface. I could see the blue and green bottom as we hovered briefly in the air.

We were down under again in a second. The dolphin shrieked happily at me, and I grinned back. The others caught up quickly and laughed soundlessly.

The dolphin faced me with his back again, his fin lingered near me. Suddenly, the entire pod swam to us and half of them lingered around each member of my family. Everyone grinned at Tommy before they grabbed the dolphins, me included, and then we swam forward together. Like me, some of the others leaped over the surface as we swam. It was totally, absolutely awesome. A ship-sized whale suddenly appeared beside us and let out a high pitched scream. Not a scream. A song. An underwater melody of shrieks between marine species. A few hundred yards away were a gathering of silvery fishes swimming back and forth like water currents.

The creatures stopped right after Tommy and June separated from us. Trusting his guidance, we followed. I waved the articifial whale and dolphins goodbye as they swam away.

When we caught up with them again, I held Mom and Dad's hands the same time we saw a sunken ship several hundred meters under. Tommy waved his arm forward at us and swam down toward it with June. Aunt Alice and Uncle Jasper suddenly picked up their speeds, swimming as fast as whales and beat Tommy and June. It didn't take long before Uncle Emmett and Aunt Rosalie swam past them as well. I shook my head despite my amusement. This family was filled with competitors.

Aunt Alice and Uncle Jasper entered the ship first. Mom and Dad held out their hands to me, I took them and swam toward the ship together with Tommy, June, Grandma and Grandpa, in no hurry to catch up to them.

Tommy made sure we were all inside the ship before he and June entered.

Although the construction was old and rotten and filled with motes like a sunken ship should be, it was easy to see the similarities to the real house. A hallway leading straight to a round staircase; the entrance to the living room on the left side, and the entrance of the kitchen to the right.

A faint glow emitted from the living room, prompting us to swim into it. The glow came from the chandelier at the center of the room, as suspected. The area was old and rotten, and the windows lacked glass, but otherwise everything else remained in place. The unmoved furniture, the mote-filled piano and Grandpa's ancient paintings.

Dad released my hand and moved to the piano, and started playing my lullaby. The melody that he wrote for me when I was still a newborn baby. The music echoed to my ears, as if there was no water in the air to block the sound.

Grandpa and Grandma started dancing at the center. And then the others joined in, one after another. Tommy supported June nicely as he led. I danced with Mom, making sure that she knew what I saw. No one said anything. We just followed the rhythm.

June sang in synchronization with the lullaby, her voice did not bubble as it _should_.

_"A miracle was brought to me,"_

_"But I never knew what it was before."_

_"When I swam under, I just couldn't see."_

_"Now, I've found my treasures ashore."_

_"A diamond ring couldn't comprehend"_

_"what you might represent,"_

_"'Cuz you mean so much more to me."_

_"I couldn't see before, but you set me free."_

_"From down under, a rainbow could be seen."_

_"Now, I know, you've set me free."_

The chandelier's light grew and the rest of the room began to dissolve. Before long, everything changed back to its own state. Dad continued playing the piano, but he no longer had the bronze fishtail. Instead, he was fully dressed like before the illusion hit. Everyone else was fully clothed, too. There was no more water in the air. The ship was our house again. Aunt Rosalie looked down on her hand; the pearl had disappeared.

"Oops," Tommy whispered. Then he apologized. "Sorry, I lost grip."

Dad chuckled as he slowed the melody to an end. Uncle Emmett and Aunt Rosalie were laughing, too. I, on the other hand, was a little sad. He had always made me happy. Not just with his gift, which worked wondrously all the time, but everything he'd done for us. Though he didn't talk much, he was always warm and kind to everyone. His imaginations kept us enterained.

And tomorrow, he will leave for God knew how long. No matter how short time he'll be gone, it will still be sad to see him go. Unable to help it, I crossed the living room to his side and embraced him as I leaned my head on his shoulder. He reciprocated.

"I'm gonna miss you, Tommy," I whispered. "No matter how long."

"I'll miss you, too, little girl," he whispered back. "But I'll come back once I get things settled."

My eyes felt weirdly watery. I breathed deeply to calm myself. It wouldn't help to cry.

My cellphone suddenly rang. Weirdly even more, I was utterly relieved when it rang. Like I'd been waiting for the call.

"Hello?" I said, wiping the tears from my eyes.

_"It's me, Nessie."_

Hearing the familiar voice sent me into a much happier mood. The sadness of departure disappeared to the back of mind in an instant.

"Jake..." I murmured under my breath. I realized this was what I'd been waiting for. A phone call from Jacob. "Hey. You missed the fun of the century. Tommy took us out on a real adventure."

_"Really? What kind?"_ he asked.

I pursed my lips. "I'll tell you when you come back." A disturbing thought suddenly occured to me, and then I was compelled to ask. "You _are_ coming back, right?"

_"Yeah, I am. As soon as I can. I promised, didn't I?"_

"Yeah."

He didn't speak for a moment.

_"I miss you, Nessie. More than you know."_

"I miss you, too." Then I changed the subject. "Did you find anything?"

_"Nothing other than the stench that lingered near Emily's house and leading all the way into the ocean on First Beach,"_ he gritted through his teeth. _"Leah just got the news and she wanted to help immediately, but I convinced her to stay put. She has a life, after all. It's a good thing my pack is safe."_

I creased my eyebrows as confusion got to me. "_Your_ pack? You mean, only Sam and Jared and the rest of his pack is missing?"

_"Yeah." _ He turned silent for a few seconds. _"Listen, Nessie, I gotta go. Gotta patrol the areas for new clues."_

"Okay," I tried to say casually, like I was fine with the suddenly shortened call. "See ya."

_"I'll call you again tomorrow, I promise."_

I nodded. "Okay."

We hung up. And the nagging feeling of sadness returned. Mom was at my side in half a second, and I hugged her for comfort. She brushed her cold hand through my hair. It helped a little.

"I miss him, Mom," I admitted.

"I know you do, Nessie."

I looked over her shoulder and spotted Tommy and June holding each other. I wished they'll come back from Alaska soon. But most of all, I wished Jake will be by my side again.

I missed him already. I wished he had been here tonight to swim with us. The family felt incomplete without him.


	39. To Endure Is to Be Strong

**CHAPTER 39 - TO ENDURE IS TO BE STRONG**

_**Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Bella<strong>

Carlisle kissed Esme before he got into the Mercedes while Emmett put June's luggage into the trunk. Thomas and June stood in the snowy front yard to tell us goodbye. Jacob called this morning to wish them goodbye and all that, so he had no need to be here if he wanted to.

I waited patiently for my turn. I only had a limited time to slip my note into June's pocket without anyone's notice, except Alice, maybe. But it was hard to find the proper timing, and with Edward and Nessie standing beside me. I didn't want Edward to know what I was up to. But if I were to give June any pointers of how I managed my year as a newborn, and what I endured from my transformation, there was only one chance. Hopefully, I'll do it right.

Alice embraced Thomas and June, and said. "I'm gonna miss you, brother."

"I'll see you soon, Alice," he murmured, and released.

"Alice?" she repeated. "What happened to 'Phoebe'?"

They chuckled at her correction. "Well, you don't exactly like the nickname," he explained. "Besides, you'll hear alot more of it when I come back, so what's wrong with making just one exception today?"

She grinned, amused and hugged him again. "See ya."

Jasper shook Thomas and June's hands and wished them good luck, his face focused intently on June - I could only tell why. Emmett patted _lightly_ on June's shoulder and punched Thomas on the shoulder. Esme hugged them both. Rosalie stayed by Carlisle's car, not participating in the union, but Thomas thanked her for her acceptance. No matter how much June's decision upset her, she still accepted her more than me before. June thanked her as well.

Edward grinned when they hugged.

"It's nice to see you not wallowing anymore," he commented in a jolly tone. "You have no idea how much it's bothered me."

Thomas laughed again. "Sorry you had to put up with me, Eddie. I'll see what I can do to make it up to you someday."

When they released each other, Nessie jumped in.

"I'm gonna have a very hard time falling asleep without your pictures, Tommy," she said.

"We'll come back. I promise," he assured.

"As soon as I learn to control myself," June interjected.

Now was my chance. I fought to grin as I ran my arms around them, making sure my right arm was around June's waist and kept the note hidden in my fist.

"Be sure to call when you can," I murmured, keeping my voice low as if I was sad. Of course, I was. But the focus on my little task was a little distracting.

When we released, I looked over my shoulder to Edward and Nessie, and quickly slid the note into her pocket. I hoped the sliding sound of her thick jacket was good enough to hide the low paper folding. By Edward's unchanged expression, I knew that I had succeeded.

They got into Carlisle's car, and then they were gone, leaving behind fluttering snow across the lawn. And then, as if an extraordinarily theatrical show had ended and the curtains had been pulled, Esme started sobbing tearlessly. Nessie sobbed in Edward's arms. I, too, was struck by a sudden force of sadness. It was nothing compared to when Edward left me by myself, or when the Volturi came to end my family. The sadness was bearable, yet it stung.

I choked when I tried to breathe. Edward ran his fingers through my hand. And later, Nessie took my other one, showing nothing.

Alice and Jasper comforted Esme. Emmett and Rosalie said nothing, but they touched her shoulders.

**Jacob**

We patrolled the lifeless woods around La Push and Forks for the 15th time, hoping to find some new clues, though there really was no point when we already patroled the areas. Seth and Embry followed me down the south perimeter, running across the same areas again.

It had been 3 days since I got back to La Push, but no new clue had emerged. Nor had Sam or Paul or any of the other wolves appeared again. The only clue we picked up a trail of vampire and werewolf scents that led into the ocean of First Beach. Me, Seth and the others recognized part of the bloodsuckers' stench from the ones that attacked us and Nessie in Cloverdale 4 months ago. I couldn't understand why an entire pack would follow a group of leeches into the water. They knew as much as I did that we were at a disadvantage underwater, so why would they follow the enemy into the water and disappear with them?

There were no findings of Sam or the others' bodies or death news, so at least that meant they weren't dead. Yet.

I tried to contact Sam the day before, but there was no response whatsoever. This was the part that worried me and the others the most. I was the only one who could communicate with Sam's mind since I became Alpha wolf, but even with this advanced perk, I was unable to pick up his thoughts now. I hoped they were alive and well, no matter how unlikely that was. Sam and the others were still my family, no matter how long time I was separated from them.

_We'll find them, Jake,_ Seth comforted, though his thoughts weren't as positive. His eyes barely focused on the dark forest up ahead.

To say Embry was dragged down too would be an understatement. He was furious with what had happened. _Argh! How did this happen? How could Sam and Paul and the others be so stupid? Running into those bloodsuckers like that?_ he yelled internally. It hurt our heads a little bit. _Oops. Sorry, guys._

_We need to expand our search areas, guys,_ I changed the subject, my thoughts were tired and beat. _We won't find anything running this routine. I'm gonna take another route and then go home to Rachel and switch with Michael. You two can turn in for the night. Ricky, Quentin and Quil'll take over for you in an hour._

_No way, Jake, I'm coming with you,_ he argued.

_Don't argue with me. You got a shift at the Rant tomorrow. Besides, you should probably let your mom know you're okay. Charlie may have some news, too. If we can't rely on our own investigation, perhaps the police could be of help. At least provide info._ How unlikely that was.

He couldn't disagree with that. _Okay, I'll catch you later. Gotta run a few miles to their house, though, so you'll have to let me tag along until I get there._

Embry and I snorted. _No problem._

We ran a few more miles around the area, then Seth reached the Swan house and phased, leaving only Embry and me to patrol the area. Embry tried to keep his thoughts on the road, but it was easy to see his curiosity. About my time with the Cullens. I increased my speed and ran down the perimeter, trying to focus.

_Sorry, Jake. I just don't know how you deal. I mean, you stink vampire all the time. I don't know how you can stand that, being so close to them every day._ There was jealousy behind his thoughts, though he tried to hide it. _Sorry, I can't help it. I'm not jealous of only you, man, I'm jealous of all of you. Quil, Jared, Paul, Ricky, Michael, Sam. Even Leah imprinted last month and she had probably the least chance. It makes me jealous that I can't feel that way for somebody._

I snorted. Embry wanted to imprint? _Well, it's not exactly up to us, if you haven't noticed. It just happens very suddenly. It happens when it does._

_But you're happy. No matter what situations you find yourself in, your happiness is always for her sake. Even if it means hanging around vampires to be with her._

I laughed. _I haven't looked back. Besides, life hasn't exactly gone that bad. Despite all the ups and downs, I'm quite content with my life right now, and I wouldn't have it any other way._

His thoughts lit up as my mood touched him.

_Sure will be nice to imprint someday,_ he thought eagerly. And then his anxiety for Sam's pack returned, with added for their loved ones. _I sure hope we find them soon._

I frowned. That's right. Emily, Rachel and the others weren't having the best time right now. Their wolves had disappeared. And they wouldn't usually leave without at least call their imprinted ones once a day. Emily and Rachel were keeping themselves strong for their kids, but I couldn't tell how long they could hold. _Maybe we'll get lucky._

Embry sighed. _For all of them, we're the only shot they got. Although I don't know how they could kidnap an entire pack. And why are _we_ fine? Why haven't they come back for us?_

_I have no idea._ Although I wish I did.

We ran a few more miles in the snowy forest before Embry went home. I was near my old house when Quentin and Quil's minds entered mine. My speed slowed.

_Hey, Jake,_ Quil greeted.

_Anything new?_ Quentin asked anxiously.

My disappointment was evident. _Oh._

_We're gonna have to expand our searching areas tomorrow, cover more ground,_ I suggested.

They agreed easily, and then they started running into the forest.

_I'm going home to take care of Rachel and Lydia. Be careful._

_Okay, Jacob._

I phased back into human, leaving their minds out of mine and then put on the wet clothes that I'd hidden under a tree trunk earlier. When I walked into the house, Michael emerged from the kitchen with a bowl of eggs in his hands.

"Hey, Jacob," he greeted. His face was plain, but it was easy to see the curiosity. Rachel came out, too, and her expression was mixed with anxiety, worry and hope. Baby Lydia was dozing off in her arms.

I felt so useless. My sister and my niece needed Paul, and now that he disappeared, I couldn't even find him for them. Rach needed her husband as much as I needed Nessie, and Lydia needed her father. My rage rippled through my chest, but I quenched it quickly. I didn't want to phase and accidentally destroy the house. That would make matters even worse.

"Hey," I struggled to answer casually. "Thanks for your help, Mike. I'll see you later."

He nodded, put down the bowl and wished Rachel good night, and left.

"Did you find anything?" she asked after he departed. I shook my head. "Oh!"

"Sorry," I apologized while clutching my fingers in fists. The fury began to burn in me again.

"No, don't be," she assured calmly. "You've been searching for days. I can't expect you to find something this quickly. To be honest, I'd rather you stay put and be safe."

"Don't be silly, I'm here to help."

I made my way into the kitchen and took over Michael's place at the stacked kitchen table. I struggled to maintain the calm and keep my fingers at low strength. If I had been a little bit angrier, my hands could accidentally crush the bowl and the eggs will spill.

She watched and talked in the hall. "I know, and I deeply appreciate that. But if something happens... if whatever happened to Paul happens to you..." Her face composed, trying to fight back the tears welling up in her eyes. She looked down on the baby girl in her arms. After a moment, she faced me again. "I just don't want my family to get hurt. Even you, Jake."

I sighed. Rachel had always been the thoughtful one. When Paul imprinted on her, she stayed in Forks for his sake; and eventually moved back into our old home and took my role of caring for Dad. She even slept on the floor just so that I could sleep in my old bed. And now, even though she was in pain; even though she was the one having a tough time, she thought about my safety. But I couldn't abandon her. Not when she needed me.

The hard part was being away from Nessie. I'll have to call her later.

Rach was still looking at me, waiting.

"Don't worry, Rach, I'm not going anywhere," I assured. "Besides, I'm going back Friday. Got school, and a job that I can't miss if I'm gonna pay off my present to Nessie."

She chuckled a little, her sad face lit up a little bit. "Need some help with that?" she pointed to the table.

"No, I'm good. You should prepare a bottle for Lydia, though. Babies need to drink as scheduled, even when they're asleep."

She looked at me curiously. "Where'd you learn that?"

My mind started racing back to the ancient memories of Nessie as a baby. And then, everything came back to me like a perfect photo. I remembered the fun of caring for her, the responsibilities and the wonderful feelings that came with the job.

"Some book," I answered with a grin. "When Nessie was a baby, I studied a little bit about baby-needs. She was more intelligent than any of them, but in the end, she was still just a baby. Of course, she grew out pretty fast, but before that, I had to learn something about taking care of babies."

She grinned at the memory. "She sure was special, wasn't she? Like Wonder Woman and Athena - so strong, even when she was an infant."

I chuckled, surprised by her description.

After dinner, Rach went to feed Lydia in her bedroom - I hoped she wouldn't be too sad to be in there, now that Paul wasn't with her. Since my old room was turned into a nursery, I could only settle on sleeping on the sofa in the living room. I took the liberty to call Nessie.

She answered at the first ring.

_"Hey, Jacob,"_ Nessie greeted in an excited voice.

My heart pumped much faster at the sound of her voice. "Hey, Nessie. You knew it was me?"

_"Not hard to guess."_

I played a finger around a circular pattern on the table. "How's everything in Cloverdale?"

_"Boring. Unless you're interested in knowing how the math test went."_

I chuckled. "I'll pass, thanks. Did Tommy or Carlisle call in?"

_"Yeah, they arrived a few hours ago. Right now, they're making preparations as we speak. Grandpa said they need to make sure June doesn't hurt anybody after she's changed, so they're going somewhere far up north. The Denalis will be with them."_

I nodded.

_"Did you found anything?"_

I sighed in disappointment. "No. We're expanding our search area tomorrow. Hopefully we'll find something. Some lead. I... I just hope Sam and the others are all right."

_"Me, too."_ Silence took over for a short moment. _"I gotta go to bed. School's tomorrow, so..."_

"Okay, I'll call you again soon."

_"Wanna talk to my Mom? She's asking for you."_

"Sure."

I waited as Nessie handed the phone to Bella. _"Hi, Jake."_

"Hey, Bells. Whazzup?"

_"Not much, just been going to school and all."_ I could hear the breeze and soundless footsteps from her side. She was walking away? _"Listen, Edward has a little theory. He thinks Sam and his pack have been kidnapped by supernatural means."_

"What do you mean by supernatural means?"

_"He was thinking back to when I told him about how my shield was able to cover your entire pack when I only cover you. And then he concluded that your minds must be very interconnected, so... hold on, he's coming. I'll let him explain."_

She handed the phone to Edward.

_"Hi, Jacob,"_ he greeted.

"Hi."

He went straight to the point. _"I think someone, some vampire, might have some sort of supernatural talent to forcefully kidnap Sam and the others."_

"Huh?" I was a little confused.

_"Think about it. Only certain vampires possess an extra talent, and every skill is different. What if someone has the power to force your pack to follow them? Like control their minds or perhaps hypnotize them?"_

I considered that. "It's possible, I guess."

_"It's only a theory, but it's very likely. Because if that wasn't what really happened, Seth, Michael, Ricky or Embry wouldn't still be there. Because they are the ones whose minds are connected to yours instead of Sam's. Whoever it was, he must have targeted Sam's pack."_

Fury rippled through my chest again, burning me. My arms and shoulders shook uncontrollably. It took all of my will to quench the burning pain. "But why would someone kidnap Sam's pack?" I gritted through my teeth, my voice rough and angry.

_"We haven't quite grasp the motif yet."_

"Great..." I said under my breath. I didn't want to yell over the phone, because I knew it wasn't his fault. Nor did I want to scare the sleeping baby. The fault was at those reeking bloodsuckers who kidnapped my tribe's most prominent members. The same ones who crashed our local Halloween party last year. And the same ones who killed Thomas's family and changed him into one of them. I wanted to do him the favor of avenging his family, and make those leeches pay for their crimes.

My shaking spread to my chest. I tried to calm myself, but it was hard. Like a strong tree standing against a storm, only to be blown apart by lightning. I felt the fire burn in me, it was building. Strongly. I worked hard to keep it steady, to calm myself, but it didn't help much. I gasped for air as I struggled against the pain.

_"Nessie!"_ Edward called on the other end. _"Come here, quick!"_ Nessie? A breezing sound swifted in the phone. _"He needs you."_

_"Jake?"_ her voice flowed soothingly into my mind, through my ear. It helped when she continued._"Are you all right, Jake?"_

The anger in me calmed nicely and slowly, like a fire had been extinguished by a breeze. My breathing became steadier, relieved. "I'm fine now, Nessie. I'm just having a hard time controlling my temper at the moment."

_"I can understand that."_ But she had no idea how much she helped by talking to me. Somehow, her voice kept me in place. If Edward hadn't given the phone to her, I would have, without a doubt, phased in the living room and crushed the entire place. The tremble would've been enough to frighten Lydia awake. In that moment, my anger had completely disappeared and replaced by sheer joy.

My girl, my goddess, held me in place.

_"Hold on, Mom wants to talk to you."_

"Oh."

_"I gotta go to bed anyway."_

"Okay. Good night, Nessie."

_"Good night. And I'm guessing you haven't slept much since you got back, so be sure to sleep a few hours. You're not a machine, so you have got to take care of yourself."_

I laughed. She knew me pretty well. "Okay, Ness. I promise, I will get some sleep." Before I forget, I had to tell her this. "Hey, I've been to see our little cave today."

_"Really?"_

"Yep. It was exactly same. It made me think about the last time we were there."

She snorted. _"I miss that place. I wish I could go see it, too."_

"Me too."

With that, we wished each other good night and then she handed it to Bella, and they wished each other good night. _"You two were so sweet I could barely stand it,"_ she said jealously._ "Jake. Be sure to sleep."_

I laughed again. She sounded exactly like Nessie when she said that. "Fine, Mom. I will. So what do you want to talk to me about?"

_"That I miss you, too. To be honest, I feel the same way she does. With you, Carlisle and Thomas gone, it's like we've lost half the family."_

I frowned. It felt the same to me, too. Although it felt more like I had left everything behind.

"I feel the same, too," I replied. "Don't worry, I'll be back very soon."

_"Okay."_

My eyes flickered to the old clock. "I, uh, I should probably get some sleep. We're switching around 4 o'clock."

_"Okay, good night. Don't let the bed bugs bite."_

I chuckled. "Good night, Bells. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

**June**

"Are you sure you're ready?" Sam asked for the last time after I set on the bed. His sweet breath touched me, but I knew enough to keep my distance. I nodded, determined.

I already had all the details of what I was meant to go through after I became a newborn, along with the possible loss of myself. The unbearable thirst and viciousness of that first year will most likely be my price; one that I was willing to pay. I even had the clear details of the painful transformation from Bella's note - which was now flushing down the toilet. The note was written with one specific detail before I read the rest. _Don't Let Anyone See This._

I went to the bathroom as an excuse. Bella had left out her name and the details of what the morphine could really do for me. And it wasn't going to be enough to dull the pain.

_The morphine and all other medication will only be enough to immobilize your body, but there is no way to make the pain go away. I endured it during my transformation. The best way for distraction is by listening to your surroundings, counting the seconds and thinking of Thomas._

_Don't tell Carlisle or Thomas about this. Thomas will be in deep pain to witness your torment; it will surely break him if you let him know that their preparation isn't enough._

_I'm sure you know everything about being a newborn vampire. The best way to control your instincts is to try to avoid thinking about blood and work to maintain your anger. It's really hard, but possible._

_Destroy this note._

_Good luck. Bella_

Surely it made me shiver a little bit, but I wasn't going to back out. I knew what I was getting myself into. What I will surely face, and what I will give up. None of it was enough to drive me apart from Sam again. I lost him once to vampires. And now, I will become one as well. There really was no other way to be with him again. Carlisle pulled himself through the transformation, and so did the others. So I _will_ make it through this just like they did. No matter the odds, I'll compose myself until the end. I'll endure the fire while it burned.

I nodded after a few long seconds. "I'm ready."

He grinned gently and pressed his hand to my cheek.

"I'll always remember your human face," he whispered. "Dark brown eyes, pink cheeks, heartbeat, beautiful and sweet with a touching voice even as a human." He looked away, deliberating. He breathed heavily, and turned to me again with brighter colors in his eyes and spoke breathlessly. "Let's get married."

I gasped.

When I didn't reply, he continued. "After you've grown out of the newborn state, let's get married. We'll have our honeymoon in the Pacific Ocean, and we'll see the dolphins and the whales from afar."

His idea was a colorful cloud that it touched my mind, instantly clouding it. I had to push it away to sort out a few things. He was asking _me_ to marry him? I breathed to maintain my calm.

Everything was perfect right now. There was really only one answer I could give him. I nudged his cold hands. He looked at me nervously.

"Yes," I answered, whispering.

His smile grew wide and clear. I leaned toward his lips. He drew back as soon as he realized what I was doing, his face became composed and scared, as if I had frightened a little child. "What're you doing, June?"

I pursed my lips and answered carefully. "Pushing my limit. You said what you will remember of me as a human. I want to give you one last memory. Something you haven't experienced as a vampire."

His face turned a little fierce, frightening me slightly. "June, you don't understand how I could risk hurting you as simple as a kiss."

"Please? Just one simple kiss. Nothing more," I begged. I didn't know how long it will take before I grew out of my nebworn state. I wanted to at least do one last thing as a human. "I just want to do one last thing before I'm changed." I begged again. "Please? It's just a very simple thing. Please?"

His expression turned sour, and then he moaned in defeat and pressed gently his cold and hard lips toward mine. He drew back after five seconds, but I was content now. I was more than ready for anything. He did not look fierce or angry, just gentle. His honey-golden eyes glittered like sunlight.

Carefully, I touched his face with my palm. He closed his eyes. And then I sang.

_"Gold as the sun, pale as the snow,"_

_"For my love, I'll offer my soul."_

_"No more restrain,"_

_"I will reach for you."_

_"No more distance,"_

_"I will fly."_

_"In the darkness,"_

_"You'll be my light."_

_"Gold as the sun, pale as the snow."_

_"For my love, I'll offer my soul."_

_"In the darkness,"_

_"You'll be my light."_

He chuckled a little bit. "Ready to live in hell with me, huh?"

"Anywhere with you is paradise to me," I answered sincerely. "Sorry, but you're stuck. I ain't going nowhere."

He brushed his hand across my face. Where his fingers touched, it tickled. His golden eyes looked into intently into mine.

Carlisle came in with Kate and Eleazar closely behind him and interrupted our little union.

"Are you ready, June?" he asked.

I deliberated for a moment, took a deep breath and nodded fearlessly. "I'm ready."

I lied down on the white bed. Sam held my left hand as his eyes bore into mine. "I'm here," he assured. "And I'll be here when you wake up."

Carlisle prepared the needle.

I braced myself completely for the fiery torture. As long as it meant being with Sam again, that's all I could care about. The consequences I'll bear.

Carlisle gently stuck the needle into my skin. I was out in seconds.


	40. Jealous

**CHAPTER 40 - JEALOUS**

**_Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be help._**

* * *

><p><strong>Renesmee<strong>

The days went on routinely without Grandpa, Tommy and Jake. It took a reminder at school for me to realize it will soon be Valentine's Day. The school board had decided to use a Prince-and-Princess theme for the school dance. Aunt Alice joined the board for this occasion and offered quite some ideas for decorations and music selection. No costumes were required, but everyone needed to have formal wearing.

Grandpa came home one week after they left, at Tommy's insistence. He wanted to the keep the family together in all possible ways. According to Grandpa, June's transformation had been a success. The morphine worked wonderfully throughout the process. What surprised me was the unexpected manifestation of her extra gift.

"Eleazar sensed it when her transformation was nearly complete," Grandpa explained through the webcam before he came back. "She ain't not only talented in music, but also sang with her heart. The feelings of her singing voice transmogrified into the voice of a siren." He grinned as he reminisced. "The first thing she did after her first hunt, was sing about being with Thomas forever and ever. Thomas said that was the first song she wrote about their love - 'Forever and Ever'. It was what got her accepted into Julliard in the first place." Hearing that amazed me greatly. Clearly, their love wasn't nearly as weak as most people.

Her newborn state was another story. I had hoped that she would be able to skip over it like Mom, but unfortunatey, that didn't work out quite as wel. She was mostly able to maintain her old self and control her strengths and mood, but she had a hard time ignoring the thirst that was supposed to be overwhelming for newborn vampires. Dad and Uncle Jasper had hoped that she would be able to skip through all that like Mom did, but it didn't work quite the way they had wanted. Then again, Uncle Jasper said that she was more mature than the average newborn. Usually, all they could comprehend was the unbearable thirst that made them aggressively violent in that first month. Tommy had decided to stay in Denali with June and the Denali coven until she grew more stable.

More importantly, Jacob and the other wolves in La Push and Forks hadn't found a single trace, even on the outside areas. Like me, Emily, Nina, Claire, Rachel and Kim were all soulmates to their respective wolves. And now, most of them had gone missing. And heaven knows what could have happened to them. I was worried about Jake, too. Whatever happened to the pack could happen to him at any time. But I couldn't be selfish. I knew that I could tell him to come home immediately if I was worried about him, and regardless everything else, he would comply to my wishes the moment I said them out loud. But at the same time, he would also be torn between me and his own family. And there were more at stake than my anxiety. Whoever kidnapped the wolves must have some huge villainous plot. I couldn't comply to my own selfishness if that meant putting other people's lives in danger.

It was a relief, though, when he said he was coming back. My family had agreed to help out in any way they could. Although Aunt Alice couldn't see shape-shifters, I imagine she would find a way to see around them.

Martie came by on Sunday night to let me help him with homework - ancient Greek literature wasn't his favorite subject. I was partially paying attention to the highroad. Waiting for Jake's car to turn off-road. Mom read "Wuthering Heights" on the armchair beside while Dad spent quality time with his piano. Uncle Jasper and Aunt Alice went hunting. Aunt Rosalie and Uncle Emmett were watching the TV movie, Cheetah Girls; Grandma resided in her study to prepare some samples for tomorrow's convention at her gallery. Grandpa was working at the hospital, he had a lot to catch up on.

We were discussing the love poem written for Eros and his lover, when I suddenly felt the compelling need to go outside, like some invisible force pulled my being. I looked to the glass windows, just as a vehicle turned in our way. The force intensified, propelling me to rush outside. Everyone else looked out the windows, too. I automatically looked to Dad. He inclined with a nod. I immediately put away my notes and pen, and dashed out the front door, running too fast for Martie to see.

Jacob's car stops a few yards from the porch. His eyes glittered through the dark glass the moment he saw me. My heart pounded 100 times faster, and the gravitational force alost pulled me down the porch. When he stepped out of his car, I leaped across the lot toward him; I didn't want to be the good girl in this moment, I just wanted Jake in my arms. He embraced as I landed into his chest and had his arms around my back. My leaping force caused him to stumble a few steps backward and his back hit the car. I was just too happy to see him. To feel him again. My arms wrapped around his neck like they were a leash clutching tightly to a dog. In that moment, I realized how incomplete and lonely I had been without him. Even though Tommy's illusion was fun enough to distract me, I still missed him more than anything else. More than June, more than Grandpa, even more than Tommy. No matter where I was, as long as he was with me, I felt complete and content.

He groaned into my hair. "Oh, God." He sniffed and whispered, and ran his hand through my hair. "I missed you so much, Nessie."

"I missed you, too," I admitted and released his neck, but kept my hands on his face.

Very slowly and gently, he leaned forward and kissed me. I instantly craved more.

A few throats cleared and redirected our attention. We immediately stopped and looked at the others, who were already on the porch, including Martie and Grandma. To my surprise, Dad looked on angrily. I quickly looked at the others; Mom and Grandma were just grinning. Uncle Emmett and Aunt Rosalie were laughing, and Martie looked at us with a gentle smile. The only one who was upset was Dad.

"Jake, I understand it has been a while since you last saw Renesmee, but it wouldn't be polite to kiss her like that in front her family like we don't exist," he gritted through his teeth and looked at me. Mom patted his chest comfortably.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Jake apologized.

He didn't relax _that_ much. Then Uncle Emmett patted his shoulder and said. "Hey, cut him some slack, will ya? The last time I checked, he's still your daughter's boyfriend."

Now, he glowered at him.

I sighed. I couldn't see why he was upset with him. I was the one who leaped into his arms in the first place, I was the one who crossed the line first.

He turned to me as he heard my thought and muttered. "Be happy I'm not grounding you or forbidding you from seeing Jake, Nessie. Normal people wouldn't give a lecture after a misbehavior like that."

I nodded, though I wanted to argue a little bit. Yes, the only thing he did was lecture Jacob. At least that meant he wasn't too upset. And he had the right to say what he wanted.

Mom patted his chest again, then she crossed the lawn to us. "Come on, you two better get inside."

I happily put my arm on her shoulder and walked to the porch. She was always understanding. Jacob's heat lingered behind us.

Once we were inside again, the others greeted Jake and we all talked random topics, like nothing had ever happened, until Martie left. And then we brought up the crucial discussion. Even though he knew what we were, he couldn't be part of the more serious conversation that was coming. He couldn't be any part of our business. This was for his own good.

"We haven't found anything," Jacob informed for the first time since he entered the house. His eyebrows furrowed deeply at the frustration. "The only trail of the bloodsuckers and Sam's pack led all the way into the ocean. We expanded the perimeter to see if we could find some new clues, but we didn't find anything either. Charlie and Sue will keep my sister company, but..." he trailed off, and then lowered his head in sadness, his eyes stared into thin air.

Mom lowered her head, too. In the next minute, we all but Uncle Emmett looked on the floor. The wolves had been our friends since I was born. Now, half of them had gone missing, and we couldn't even determine their location or what demise could have befallen them.

Jacob didn't say anything. I landed my hand on top of his and rubbed it gently. He looked at me with a genuine smile.

We hung out around the house until Dad declared it was bedtime for me. Honestly, he was getting a little bit annoying; but I loved him that way. Uncle Jasper and Aunt Alice came home right before 9. She had been trying to see something while she was hunting, but her visions were all blocked by the missing wolves. Jacob and I kissed each other good night, and then I went to change in my room.

"Are you okay, Nessie?" Mom asked and settled on the bedpost. "You've been thoughtful all night."

"I'm fine," I answered, half-hiding under my blanket. "I'm just worried about Sam and the others. And not just that; I've seen how Jake's been distracted all night, thinking about them. Mom, I'm worried about them. Whatever's happened, it's not good."

She nodded calmly and ran her hand across my head, like I was still a baby. "I know, honey. I know. Frankly I'm worried, too. The Quileutes have been part of our family for a long time now. I don't want them hurt any more than you do."

We didn't speak for a moment. Then, she lilt up her face and said. "Do you know what you need right now?"

I shook my head. "What?"

"A good night sleep and a good time to enjoy."

I shook my head again in disbelief. How could a distraction possibly be good?

"Listen to me, Nessie. I worry about Sam and the others as much as you do, we all do, but it's not gonna help to stay here worrying. Sooner or later, we'll find something. So until then, we should live as normal as possible. Besides, Valentine's Day's coming next week. I'm sure you don't want to miss it, considering it'll be your first with Jacob." She grinned confidently.

Too bad I didn't have a feedback. She was right. Valentine's Day will be coming soon. For me, it will be the first annual event that I spend with Jacob. As much as I worried for the other wolves' lives, I didn't want to spend the holiday worrying.

Mom kissed my head and wished me good night.

**Jacob**

My phone rang while I was driving home.

"Hello?" I greeted.

_"It's me, Jake,"_ Bella confirmed.

"Bella?"

_"Listen, I'm sorry to say this, but..."_ she trailed off, probably insecure about what she was going to say.

"Yeah?" I was getting a little impatient.

_"You see, Valentine's Day's coming soon, and I know it's important to Nessie..."_ I nodded. _"So, I was wondering if you will be all right to spend it with her."_

"Of course," I answered wholeheartedly. "To be honest, I've been dreaming to spend it with her. That's why I came back. That and my promise to her."

_"Hm... why am I not surprised?"_

I laughed. Bella will always be Bella, always so caring and attempt to be funny. There was no way to make her disappear, even by becoming a vampire. She was really my best friend, my past love, and the mother of my existence. "Alice has already told me about the school dance, and I'm gonna take her," I explained. "Of course, I do have to invite her properly first. Don't think you'll be joining though, right?"

She scuffed. _"You know me."_

Unable to help it, I laughed again. Bella really was Bella. She was always uncomfortable with parties and celebrations, especially when she was the center. It was a wonder that she got through her own wedding.

"I'll see you tomorrow." I waited till she replied before I hung up.

Seth kept me posted through the weekend, but nothing had turned up. It was completely frustrating and infuriating to have absolutely no information on the others' whereabouts. To not be able to do something to secure my anxiety. To my gratitude though, at least I was with Nessie again. And her very presence made me feel better.

Soon it was Monday. I arrived at the Cullen house at approximately 7:30 am. Edward, Bella and the others were already waiting on the porch. Nessie walked down the stairs and greeted me with a light kiss.

I opened the passenger door like a gentleman. While we waited in the Rabbit, the others departed into the garage and took their own vehicles.

After government class, I went to the school board's office and bought tickets to the dance - thank goodness each ticket only cost 12 bucks, I had more than enough for that and to buy lunch. After I got the tickets, I went straight to the cafeteria, where Nessie waited.

Okay, let's try to phrase that perfectly. _'Hi, Nessie. I would like to ask you to the Prince-and-Princess dance for Valentine's Day.'_ No! That was too straightforward. _'Hey, Nessie. I just bought the...'_ Shoot me right now! Why can't I grasp this? It was like the first time I asked her out on a date and had to turn to Tommy for advice.

Come on, focus. _'Hello, Nessie. What's lunch serving? Listen, I just got a pair of tickets to the Prince-and-Princess dance, which is on Valentine's Day... and I was wondering if you aren't busy that night.'_

Argh! My nerves worsened by every step I took to the cafeteria. Why can't I get this right? What'll I do when I ask her?

"Hey, Jacob," someone called. I turned around and saw Julie, the self-absorbed cousin of Martie's and girlfriend of the football team's quarterback. "It's been a while since anyone's ever seen you. On your way to the cafeteria?" she asked in a friendly voice.

I was a little bewildered by her sudden friendliness. Why was she being friendly to me all of a sudden, after all this time?

"Um, yeah," I answered casually.

"I was just on my way, too, wanna walk together?"

I nodded, though I was still bewildered.

She asked numerous questions on our way to the cafeteria. From why I took liberty from school last week to Tommy's departure; all questions that I could only answer subtly. She was definitely eager to make some gossip about the Cullens, to create some kind of new conversation, maybe even talk badly about them.

Nessie and her family were already at their usual table when we entered. Martie sat beside Nessie and chewed off an apple. Bella and Edward were the first to notice me. Nessie followed their glance and saw me, but her face didn't light up as usual. Instead her eyes emanated curiosity and surprise.

"Ow!" Julie yelled as she fell into my arms. My hands supported her waist until her legs balanced again. She looked up at me with a delighted grin. "Thank you."

Some of the kids in the cafeteria noticed our little incident.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

Her face lit a little brighter. "Yeah, thanks to you," she answered. "What would I do without you? It's a good thing you're here."

She placed her hand on the left side of my chest. It wasn't like Nessie's touch. When I looked at the table again, Martie grunted to himself. Edward looked upset at us. Whatever he heard wasn't good. Nessie was even more upset; her lips twitched

In that moment, I realized what Julie had been plotting. What she was scheming. How could I not have noticed before? This was one of the oldest tricks in the book.

Nessie looked away, got to her feet and walked out to the snowy yard. I pushed away Julie - with little force from my hands, though I really didn't care if I shoved her into a wall - and ran after her.

"Nessie! Nessie, wait!" I called.

She walked a few paces into the yard and then stopped abruptly. I didn't stop until I caught up with her. She didn't turn around or move.

"Wait! It's not what it looks like. She just tripped, and I helped. That's all."

She turned her head slowly until the right side of her face was facing me.

I continued to explain. "I know what it must look like to you. I'm sorry. I didn't meant to..."

"It's okay," she murmured as she shifted her body to face me properly and took a shallow breath. "I didn't know what came over me. I just felt a bit upset when I saw you with Julie."

I chuckled. Jealousy was so obvious and she didn't realize what she was feeling?

"Why are you laughing at me?"

"It's just that I, um..." I explained. "I felt the same thing a few times. When I was in love with your mom and a few times after you were born."

She looked at me questioningly. "You did?"

"Jealousy, that's what it was," Jasper explained before I had the chance to. I turned around and saw him coming our way. Edward, Bella and Rosalie tagged along, too.

"That was exactly what Julie wanted you to feel," Edward interjected with an angry look. "She is jealous of us for our beauty, our intelligence and how we got what we wanted. But she was particularly jealous of you, Nessie. She tried to look pretty at the Halloween party last year, but your costume outshined hers very easily. Then she found out that Thomas was able to take a sabbatical and Jacob took a break last week. She was jealous of how we could get what we wanted, not to mention y0ur friendship to her cousin. That's what drove her to try and make you jealous for the first time."

"And she succeeded," Jasper finished.

I grunted. That self-absorbed Julie. How dare she do such a thing to Nessie? Did she plot this just to make herself feel better? To torment whoever she didn't like? Is that what she likes to do?

My hands started shaking uncontrollably. I tried to fight the anger burning within me, struggled to keep my being in control. It wouldn't help to phase in a school yard full of people. A moment later, I _was_ calm again. The fire in me quenched back in completely. It took a moment before I realized that Jasper was probably doing his magic.

"Thanks, Jasper," I said calmly.

Nessie slid her hand into mine, comforting me with her touch and her calmer thoughts.

"Seriously, though, Julie's gone too far" Bella complained, her own anger emitted from her creased forehead.

Rosalie looked at her with the same angry look. "Agreed. I wanna hurt her for Nessie. I actually _wish_ that Thomas was here right now."

Edward placed his hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "It's not gonna help, Rose. He would only draw too much attention to us." Then he moved to Nessie and did the same with a suddenly calm expression. "But we can do something else."

His expression was smug and devious. A part of me didn't like whatever might be on his mind. Even though I was infuriated with Julie for her actions, I hoped whatever was on his mind wasn't too malicious or, at the very least, life-threatening. Preserving human life was my job, after all.

He rolled his eyes and shook his head in disbelief. That was enough answer for me.

Martie, Emmett and Alice came out, but we were finished. Alice smiled with eagerness.

**Bella**

We waited till classes were over before we proceeded the plan. Throughout the rest of the day, Edward and Alice kept track of Julie's decisions. Edward assured that she wasn't plotting anything else, but I was eager to pay back. No one treats my daughter that way. I had seen before in movies how popular yet mean-spirited teenage girls plotted malicious plans against others to achieve their own goals.

Julie's way to upset Nessie through jealousy was one of the oldest tricks in history. That was enough to upset _me_ though. I wanted to use some of those old tricks to make her pay for her act. Break her tires, put worms into her botebook, trash her locker... But Edward reasoned that it wouldn't help to act recklessly.

So we were going to do it _subtly_. Nothing drastic or exaggerated that she could report to. No cutting Julie's hair, no smashing her car to pieces - even though I would have loved that - and no worms in her backpack. Just a simple scare. Jasper was vital to this action.

"Can I go hunting with you and Dad tonight?" Nessie asked when she was about to take off with Jake. Edward convinced her to spend some time with him before his shift.

I nodded. "That will be fine, Nessie. I'll talk to your dad."

She hugged me and then quickly ran to Jake's car, and then they took off.

I met up with Edward and the others in the main hall. Emmett was pacing eagerly around the hall when I came in. Rosalie had leaned her back on a wall, while Alice and Jasper hovered near the lockers - Alice's eyes unfocused and looked at nothing. Edward put his hand on my shoulders, and smiled dazzlingly. I was instantly dazed, my petty attitude toward my daughter's enemy forgotten.

"15 more seconds, get ready, guys," Alice informed.

My anger returned slowly. Like water rushing into a room through a crack in the wall. My head counted the seconds. _10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1._ She, Julie, appeared at the end of the hallway as Alice predicted. Seeing that girl's face boiled my anger. I could taste a little bit of iron on my tongue. My vision tainted slightly with crimson colors, tainting my target.

"Easy, Bella," Emmett warned calmly.

Jasper and Alice approached Julie first. She gasped a little when they stopped in front of her. Then Edward pulled me by my shoulder and moved me forward. Emmett and Rosalie tagged along beside us. The girl looked at us curiously as we approached. Her stare intensified by every step we took. I realized what we must look like to her. An intimidating gang of troublemakers; keen to causing trouble and deadly to those who knew us. I knew exactly how dangerous I was.

"Hey, Julie. Nice shirt," Alice commented her aquamarine V-collar shirt. "It must really have an acceptable price to buy something this pretty and suitable to your skin."

"Thanks," she said calmly, like we weren't frightening her.

"Would you like to tell me where you bought it?" Rosalie said through a restrained tone. "I feel like finding the shop and see if the store has anything that suits me."

"Um, King's Market in Pacific City."

I wanted to say something. Something to scare her off, enough to keep her awake at night. But even though I would have no problem terrifying her, I knew that I _had_ to be careful with my words. Just enough to scare her.

"You know, I think Renesmee has a better taste than that," Edward said with a grim smile on his face, looking terrifying and handsome at the same time. "Whatever she wore, she fit perfectly."

I took his break to cut in, I wanted to say something before someone did. "She's always been special in the family, in many ways, too. That is why we all love her so much. So if someone tries to hurt her..." I shrugged and finished. "I _kill_ them."

Emmett stepped forward and interjected. "You see, she is better than any other person we've ever known, so we're pretty protective to her. And if anyone tries to hurt her, we wouldn't hesitate to hurt them back." His usually happy expression turned completely serious and hard. It probably would have frightened most vampires. "Maybe do a little more along the way."

She choke on her breath. The terror in her eyes were priceless. And I knew that we had succeeded.

And just like that, we walked away.

"Nice job, Jazz," Edward whispered to him.

He winked.

"We did it. She's not gonna try anything again," Alice whispered as she looked into the near future.

Emmett punched Jasper's shoulder.

**Renesmee**

I watched the snow fall. The environment was exquisite, there was no doubt about that. Aside from the rolling tires, the thick snow on the road getting blown away by the tires and the strong breeze in the environment, it was very quiet. Jacob and I hadn't said a word since we got into the car.

My anger dimmed away hours ago. And I wasn't even mad at Jacob to begin with. I was mad at Julie. Right now though, I wasn't sure how tell him. Words had never been the method to analyze my feelings.

Then there was really only one thing to do - the one other way to express myself to Jacob without speaking out loud.

I waited till we arrived at the auto shop. Even though I would have liked to show Jacob how I felt, he needed to focus on the road.

He turned off the engine, but didn't get out. Instead he waited and took a deep breath.

"Nessie?" he whispered hesitantly, as if he was afraid he would me. "I'm sorry..."

I quickly put my index finger between his lips and showed him that I wasn't mad anymore, especially not at him. _Lunchtime passed hours ago, do you really think I like to hold grudges?_

His lips lit up to form a huge smile. I never quite realized how handsome jacob could be until last year when I realized my feelings for him.

He chuckled.

"I would still like to make it up to you," he insisted and then fished up a pair of tickets from his pocket. I knew what they were for, of course. They had been handed down between students all day long.

"I got these right before lunch," he explained - his smile faltered slightly as his deep brown eyes focused on me. "Nessie, would you like to be my date to the Valentine's Day dance?"

I smiled and took a ticket from his grip. "Yes."

"Yes?"

I snorted. "Do you really want me to repeat that?"

He shook his head quickly and then kissed me on the lips. I found myself craving more of his compelling flame, and wanted nothing more than for him to wrap around me.

We were interrupted by a voice calling Jake's name. Ardin's voice.

"Better get to work," Jacob whispered. His tone revealed that he wanted to continue as much as I did.

I nodded reluctantly, and watched him walk out of the car.

After he got inside, I left the car and went straight into the woods.


	41. Valentine

**CHAPTER 41 - VALENTINE**

**_Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful._**

* * *

><p><strong>Renesmee<strong>

"I'm just not sure anymore, that's all," I complained for the 15th time today. "I mean, with Sam's pack missing, it feels wrong to pretend like things are normal."

I tried to focus, but it was impossible to completely wipe out the anxiety about Sam and his pack. Where are they? I couldn't imagine what they were going through, even if I had an idea.

"Yes, but it doesn't help to worry and stress yourself, either, especially when you should be out there having fun," Aunt Alice countered while pulling the zip of my white silk dress. "What's to come will come."

I chuckled. "And this comes from someone who has foresight of uncertain futures."

This left her speechless. Aunt Rosalie and Mom, on the other hand, laughed at my epiphany. Mom stroke every string of my hair with her comb, slowly and gently. Her smiling face reflected nicely by the mirror.

She leaned down beside my ear and said. "You look really beautiful tonight," she murmured.

I gleamed in response.

"Why won't you go with us to the dance, Mom?" I asked. "I would've liked for you to be there."

"You know how I feel about dancing and celebrating."

My right hand moved automatically to touch my left wrist; it was the first time I took off Jacob's bracelet since I put it back on. I nudged around where it was, and felt odd without it. At least I can wear it again after tonight. I would have worn it to the dance if Aunt Alice hadn't insisted that it wouldn't fit my outfit. She stated that if I wanted to look perfect in front of Jacob tonight, I needed the bracelet off.

Aunt Rosalie handed Aunt Alice a silver bracelet, and she attached it around where Jacob's bracelet belonged.

"Okay, I gotta be at the school one hour early to set up my fortune-teller table, so you better pucker up so that I can put on this lipgloss and then be on my way," Aunt Alice commanded as she opened the pink lipgloss. "You don't wanna look imperfect to Jacob when he gets here."

The moment she said his name, my mind all but raced back to him and the evening.

Then I realized.

This will be first Valentine's Day I ever spend with Jacob officially. I wanted to make it perfect and memorable. Something we both will remember for a long time. So, I should look perfect. Even if it meant getting myself tormented by Aunt Alice's endless styling.

I puckered my lips and allowed Aunt Alice to work her magic. Mom observed with a gleaming smile; I could see Aunt Rosalie grin hugely by her reflection in the mirror.

"Done," Aunt Alice declared and put away the lipgloss. "You're ready."

I took a moment to admire myself in the mirror. The white silk dress complimented my fair skin, my natural curls fit in naturally with Aunt Rosalie's borrowed pearl earrings. The mascara made my eyes look deeper and wider than they really were. My pendant fit well with my appearance. It was hard not to admire myself. I finally understood Aunt Alice's point that my bracelet didn't add up with the outfit - compared to all the extravaganza with the dress, the accessories and my face, it would really look out of place and the perfection would become unbalanced - not that I would have minded.

"Okay, I have to go now if I'm gonna be there on time," Aunt Alice said as she walked to the door, then she turned around and said. "Be careful not to ruin my product, okay? See ya."

She left in a flash. I could hear her soundless footsteps down the stairs as she ran. Another sound of low but quick footsteps followed. I wasn't that surprised. Of course Uncle Jasper would go with her, he was her date tonight.

I waited patiently in the living room while watching some random TV movie with Mom and Dad. Every time I heard a vehicle nearby, I automatically flickered to the window until I realized it wasn't stopping.

When one did stop, I stared out the window. The tires sounded louder as they approached the house. I breathed to calm my nerves.

When Jake got out of the car, Dad darted to the door and waited. I breathed as I fought the nerves that kept crawling to the surface.

Mom noticed my anxiety and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. Outside, I heard Jacob's heavy footsteps and his shallow breaths. Somehow, I could also hear what sounded like thin paper sliding.

"It's gonna be okay," she whispered confidentally into my ear. "You have nothing to be nervous about, and he will definitely love you no matter what you wear tonight."

"But the problem is _I_ have trouble believing that I look good," I whispered back.

"Then you'll just have to wait for him to make the judgment. It's gonna be fine, Renesmee. I promise."

Dad opened the door just as she finished talking.

"Good evening, Edward," Jacob said.

Dad chuckled.

"Very well mannered, Jacob," he commented. "And good evening to you, too. Come on in."

I heard Dad step to the side and Jacob walk into the hall. I took a slow breath, and then got to my feet. Mom held my hands and walked into the hall with me.

Jacob grinned hugely the moment he saw me. The first thing I noticed after him was the bouquet - 10 or 15 red roses tied together in a bow and wrapped in thin papers of white and pink - and the rose corsage. His black tuxedo matched perfectly with his tan skin and black hair. The bowtie was black, too, which fit smoothly with his white button down. I giggled uncontrollably at his appearance. It was the first time I ever saw him in formal wearing. Furthermore, he was handsome even from this angle. I found myself completely mesmerized by his features.

"Hi," he greeted.

"Hi," I murmured.

He took a deep breath, and then walked to my side.

"These are for you." He handed the bouquet to me. "Happy Valentine's Day."

I pulled out one rose, pulled off its head and placed it on his coat pocket. He gleamed as I did it.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Okay, are you two gonna get going now? Because I wanna get through the door this instant," Uncle Emmett said and pointed to the still-open front door. I hadn't noticed his blue bowtie earlier. It fit perfectly with his white tuxedo. Aunt Rosalie's pink silk gown made her look like a lovely yet charming princess standing beside a bulky prince.

We all chuckled cheerfully.

Jacob took my hand and put the red corsage on my right wrist. "Let's go."

I nodded, and then he started guiding me out the door.

Mom patted my shoulder again because our physical contact ceased.

"Have fun," she encouraged, and gently pushed me forward.

Jacob opened the passenger door for me like a gentleman.

"Hey," he murmured when he got into the car. "You look very pretty tonight."

I smiled and touched his face to tell him how stunningly handsome he was. He leaned in to kiss me quickly, but passionately. And then he started the engine and drove the car away.

We arrived at the school in minutes. Uncle Emmett and Aunt Rosalie parked their car a few cars from ours and waited. The thick snow that was initially in the way had been shoved into big piles on the sidelines.

Jacob held up his arm in invitation. "Are you ready?" he asked.

I grinned, answered "Yes," and then wrapped my arm around his and started walking.

Most of the students and staff members gathered in the beautifully decorated gym hall, while some lurked around the hallways, talking and making out. A band's music echoed through the walls and the classic music crumbled loud and clear in my ears before we got there. The cheers were combined with the music as well.

Uncle Emmett eagerly pushed open the door. Extravagant didn't begin to cover the description of the place. It was beautifully decorated, yet a little overdone. Curtains of red, white and pink hung over the windows, balloons of different colors attached to the walls. The whole gym was covered by colorful swirling light fragments reflected by the huge discoball in the center of the ceiling with white lanterns all around it. Everyone was dressed for the occasion, too, as if they were part of the atmosphere. It was easy to see the tables of punches and treats, and seats where some couples were already resting on. And in the corner, Aunt Alice and Uncle Jasper sitting with another couple at a table filled with tarot cards and a round crystal ball. Aunt Alice was busy reading the girl's palm. I found it hard not to laugh. It wasn't like Aunt Alice needed any of those supplies to predict someone's future.

Then a thought occured to me and I realized what I had been missing out. Of course, it was necessary to wait for my accelerated maturity to complete itself before I could start school or be among people, but I had also been missing out on many things. Celebrations, normal teenage activities and school. It was nothing though, because I had always had my family by my side, and they never let me feel lonely. They never missed out on annual celebrations, like Christmas or my birthday. But this was something new: being around human teenagers and participating in what was defined as normal activity.

Underneath the discoball was the round dance floor. Aunt Rosalie winked at Uncle Emmett, and then pulled him to the dance floor. As they passed, many beheld them as if they were observing a priceless jewel being moved around the floor in a glass case.

Jacob gave me a genuine look.

"May I, Ms. Cullen?" he asked politely.

I chuckled and nodded. As he led me toward the dance floor, many people caught sight of us and glanced at us with admiring looks, which made me a little uncomfortable. I could see my own image reflected in their eyes, and I was lovely. Even Julie - hidden in the crowd and dressed elegantly - looked bewildered. Martie was simply breathless.

Jacob carefully slipped his huge hand into my fingers while touching my hip with his other hand. The touch felt synchronized. Natural. He breathed unevenly as he readied to take the leading step. I grinned and used my hand to tell him how to dance, and encouraged him to be fearless. Like always. I pictured him fighting all the times he fought for me, to be with me, to keep me safe. This was nothing compared to any of those hard times.

He grinned hugely and took a step forward while I moved back. We twirled around the dance floor in perfect movements; while I stepped back, he approached, and when he twirled me around, I complied. We were like magnets, moving with each other's force. Our hands never separated, not even when he twirled me.

From the corner of my eye, I could see Aunt Alice and Uncle Jasper smile proudly.

The band shited to a new song. Some couples left the dance floor to get some punch, have their fortune told by Aunt Alice, or to get comfortable on the chairs. A thought occured to me, and it was transferred to Jacob. Before I knew it, he swung me in a new pace.

I lifted my head to look into his deep brown eyes, those intent irises bore into mine. I realized that I wasn't instructing Jacob anymore. Even though I remembered the steps perfectly, it was really _he_ who made me move gracefully now. We were moving _with_ each other. He swung me under his arm, moving mine at the same time and had my back touching his chest. Our legs moved together like magnets. His hands opened the same time I twirled my way out of them and then spun back in with my front side. He smiled hugely as he lifted me off the floor and spun us around in a circle. Surprised and amazed, I straightened my arm and leg like a graceful dancer. When the music slowed to a new pace, he lowered me to the floor. I glided out of his arms, spinning automatically, as if the rhythm was guiding my body. Jacob's warm hands found mine again and swung me more slowly.

The dance smoothly slowed to a stop. But I was more than content at this point. I was evidently happy and peaceful, and the most amazing thing was, I had my Prince Charming standing right in front of me. And he loved me as much as I loved him.

It wasn't until everyone clapped that I realized we were being watched. Uncle Emmett and some of the amazed students whistled while the rest cheered. It was like this night was designed specifically for me and Jacob by the cosmos. Aunt Alice and Uncle Jasper watched cheerfully from their fortune-telling table. Uncle Emmett and Aunt Rosalie clapped and beamed a proud look at us.

"Nicely done, Jacob," Uncle Emmett commented.

I rested at a table across the gym from Uncle Jasper and Aunt Alice's table while the band played a new smooth melody. Aunt Rosalie and Uncle Emmett danced their way on the floor. Martie was making a sweet conversation with his date, Holly, from biology class.

And I was left reeling from the dancing experience. The pleasure and contentment of being with Jacob was almost impossible to describe.

"Here you go," Jacob said and handed me a glass of punch.

"Thank you," I said through a smile.

He sat down beside me and sipped from his glass.

"Having a fun time, Mr. Black?" I teased.

He gleamed. "More than I can contain."

I took his hand to show him how genuine I was feeling. _Thank you for making tonight so perfect. It's like a living fairytale._

He looked at me silently for a moment and then leaned forward to kiss me. I started craving more of his warm wet lips, the sensation of his power, his passionate touch, and the fire that ignited in me. It felt like the whole gym could be set on flames. I wouldn't have noticed it.

My free hand moved to find his face, tripping over my glass of drink by accident.

We didn't stop kissing.

**Rosalie**

As Emmett swung me around, I noticed the intense kiss that my niece was sharing with the dog. Honestly, I couldn't understand how she could stand all the stench. Then again, her human half probably reduced the revulsion for her. She'd never found his scent repulsive.

But as long as that golden retriever made her happy, who am I to judge?

"Still staring at them, babe?" Emmett asked jokingly.

The good thing about Emmett, which was only one of a million, was I didn't have to hide my feelings from him. I could always tell him how I felt and what I wanted, and he would do anything to give it to me. Even though it was impossible for us to have children, I knew he would have given everything he got to give me one... if there was any possibility to that.

"Just happy for my niece," I answered honestly. "It's not everyday someone finds true love."

"Like we have," he chuckled.

I didn't disagree. "Yes, like we have."

He stopped abruptly and kissed me passionately. It was basically impossible to remove my mouth from his. He was so overpowering me right now.

**Alice**

After Terry Elliot and Vivian Roberts got the _unfortunate_ reading of their decision to go bowling tomorrow with some friends, they went on their way.

While Emmett kissed Rosalie, I could see his decision to go home early for some personal fun. I _hoped_ they won't trash their bedroom.

Jasper held my hand, and my attention shifted to him. A gentle grin emanated from his cheeks, and even with the razor sharp teeth behind those lips, he looked completely handsome and charming with the blonde hair and golden eyes. I leaned forward to kiss him.

A moment later, a sound of footsteps approached our table.

"Are we interrupting?" a girl student asked.

And so, we pulled away and went back to our little business.

"How good are you at this, exactly?" the boy student wondered, uncertain of my skills. To be honest, I wasn't too sure myself. Ever since Nessie's birth and the wolves, I hadn't been able to see too much of the possible futures. It wasn't easy to deal with having someone nearby block your vision.

In my first 80 years, I had no problem seeing the future. Even the sudden changes of course, I could still see what was coming.

Jasper nudged my hand and beamed a gentle smile. I knew he was trying to cheer me up without his empathic gift. It worked sporadically.

I collected my confidence and turned back to the couple.

"Good enough," I answered.

**Bella**

I lied next to Edward on our broken bed. I had snapped the bed frame apart... again. Silly as it was, I found it hard not to laugh.

"Do you always have to try and take the upper hand?" he asked.

I traced my hand down his cheekbone, stopped on his chin and removed my shield to remind him how much power I loved having over him, and how much he had over me himself. They were equal.

He laughed a peal of bells and ran his hand from my arm down to my hip. The sensation of his touch distracted me and my shield resurfaced. His glowing eyes froze in my direction.

"What have I done to deserve a wonderful creature such as you?" he whispered blissfully.

"You waited," I answered directly.

And then, he kissed me again, distracting me further. I didn't mind though.

**Esme**

Carlisle waited on the giant rocks for me to join him after I drained my prey.

We didn't speak when I joined on on the rock. He simply put his arm on my shoulder and gently nudged me into his chest.

The nightsky was more beautiful than anything I had ever seen, and I knew it will be again tomorrow. And I would never be bored by it. Not as long as I had Carlisle by my side. He was the source of my being, my happiness, my satiated life of immortality.

I looked at him sheepishly through the darkness, his gleaming eyes admired the starry nightsky. I put my hand on his face and gently redirected his attention to me, and then lifted my head to kiss him.

After a moment, he pulled away.

"I love you," he whispered, and then he kissed me again.

**June**

Sam rested on my lap, his eyes gleamed at me while I sang "Can I Have This Dance".

"Do you have to stare at me everytime I sing?" I stopped singing abruptly to ask.

"Yes," he beamed. "Because your voice is amazing. You're amazing."

I chuckled with my new voice. It'd been weeks, but I still hadn't gotten familiar with the new sound of my voice. But at this point, nothing felt familiar. I was still getting to know the new state of my body, my newborn powers and urges. I tried hard not to think about...

"Please go on," he pleaded, blissfully interrupting my thought.

I smiled hugely at him and picked up where I left off.

_"It's like catching lightning, then chances of finding someone like you."_

_"It's one in a million, the chances of feeling the way we do."_

_"And with every step together, we just keep on getting better."_

_"So can I have this dance? Can I have this dance?"_

_"Oh, no mountain's too high and no ocean's too wide,"_

_"'Cause together or not, our dance won't stop."_

_"Let it rain. Let it pour. What we have is worth fighting for."_

_"You know I believe that we were meant to be! Yeah."_

_"It's like catching lightning, the chances of finding someone like you,"_ Sam joined in, to my surprise.

And then he moved in a blur, lifting himself from my lap and yanked me up from the snowy ground in a second, and danced us around swiftly. I complied very easily.

We sang the rest of the song together.

_"It's one in a million, the chances of feeling the way we do."_

_"And with every step together, we just keep on getting better."_

_"So can I have this dance? Can I have this dance?"_

_"Can I have this dance?"_

_"Can I have this dance?"_

His eyes beamed as bright as the starlight above. I laughed loudly; it was so weird to see how my previously insecure, physically incompetent yet sweet and kindhearted boyfriend turn into this confident, happy and athletic man, even though my mind now had more than enough room to contain that new aspect of his.

The beauty of his pale skin made him look like a real-life Prince Charming - in Chinese known as the "White Horse Prince".

Fragments of white starlights fell down on us in a beautiful shower. I looked around the field and found it completely covered by the same starlights. It was such a beautiful scenery, much more elegant than a royal ball. I was dazed by it.

"Is this too much?" Sam asked, curiously.

I grinned at him in response, and sang a new song to show him my appreciation.

_"Here I stand in a snowy field, with a white man to I appeal."_

_"How can this be? Is this a dream? 'Cause no way can this be real."_

_"White crystals glowing, golden lights warming,"_

_"And now I am happy and free."_

_"You are the prince who set me free."_

_"On a white horse, you rescued me."_

_"And here I am now in a snowy field. My white horse prince, you make me feel."_

_"And I am happy happy and free."_

_"You set me free."_

He smiled hugely. "You're such a beautiful siren."

And then, he leaned in carefully to kiss me. I started wanting more of him. If I had hurt him with my grip, he didn't complain.


	42. Sacrifice

**CHAPTER 42 - SACRIFICE**

**_Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful._**

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><p><strong>Jacob<strong>

The snow had dissolved to ice since the dance. Seth, Embry and Quil continued their search and kept me posted, but no matter where they looked, they still found nothing. Charlie hadn't gotten any news from the station, either. It was like they had disappeared from the phase of the Earth. Since Alive couldn't see me or the packs, we couldn't rely on her aid.

After a long time of quiet, tt began to feel hopeless to even try. But I knew I couldn't give up. Not until we found something. Anything at all.

It was just so hard to keep my hopes up when there hadn't turned up anything after such long weeks. I wanted to help with the search, but going back to La Push wouldn't do any good, anyway: if they were to find something, they would have done it by now. Plus, I wanted to stay with Nessie. She was what bound me here in Cloverdale.

"Are you sure you're not going back?" she asked me while tutoring me for tomorrow's Government quiz.

I nodded, not meeting her eyes. "It's not like I'll be of much help if I go back anyway. I _want_ to help, I do. Especially for Rachel and Lydia. But if nothing's turned up by now, then that probably means Sam and the others are not in La Push or Forks anymore, so..." I trailed off, not wanting to continue. She didn't push me to it, either. Instead, she pressed her hand to my face, showing nothing. Just comforting. It helped a little bit. Her fingers stroke gently down my features. I shut my eyes to feel her touch. Completely forgetting what I was doing, how badly I was feeling.

Her hand suddenly withdrew, and I automatically reopened my eyes. She smiled gently.

"We have to concentrate, Jacob," she said. "If you're gonna stay, you have to make sure to make some good out of it."

I nodded obediently and stretched my arms and hands and fingers. "All right, quiz me on!"

I met with Nessie in the hallway after the test. It wasn't easy to remember all the correct answers, but Nessie's tutoring had definitely paid off. I had to struggle to remember whatever was squeezed into my brain, but the questions didn't seem too hard. The harder part only came when I had to write about the accomplishments of the last three presidents before Obama.

But, at least, it was over now.

"Hey," I greeted and embraced her.

"Hey," she greeted back. "So how did it go?"

"Difficult, but I think I got most of it."

My neck itched beyond comfort and I scratched.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Just a little itchy." Actually, it was a little more than _little_ itchy.

She chuckled all of a sudden and said. "Maybe you got fleece."

That epiphany compelled me to laugh though I continued scratching. Then she stretched her toes and sent her fingers across my neck and the back of my ear. The sensation was indescribably comfortable. The itching instantly stopped. I smiled hugely at her. "Thanks."

"No problem," she replied, and dropped her hand down to mine. "C'mon."

Our lunch table was utterly empty with only Nessie, Martie and me, because of the clear weather. The others had to stay home to stay out of the shining sun that would surely expose their sparkling skins in public. That would've caused quite some problems to us.

Thankfully, Nessie and I didn't have that kind of problem. Her skin only glowed a faint light when she was exposed to sunlight, nothing that would keep her inside during the day. Martie was quick to catch the reason to their absence, of course, he already knew about the Cullens being vampires and me being a giant dog. To my amazement, he was more accepting than expected. Even Edward, Jasper, and Alice were certain that he will not be a threat to any of us. He cared about Nessie as much as the rest of us. I had to give him credit for that.

Of course, we had to tell him what he wasn't allowed to know, what we weren't allowed to tell him. All it took to keep him from asking too much was telling him about the Volturi, the most powerful coven of reeking bloodsuckers who supposedly had been invincible. It was to keep him as safe as possible. We already had enough trouble with those high and mighty bloodsuckers, and the last thing we wanted was for them to know about him. Even with Bella and Tommy on our side, we couldn't afford any more trouble. Especially when we already had enough on our shoulders.

Julie and some of her peeps glanced at us from their usual table, which a nerd in glasses had replaced in Martie's seat. Senior class president. I shot an angry look at them to make them turn away. It worked. They looked away very quickly.

Martie and Nessie discussed some recent incidents that he received from some relatives in Benton City. Apparently some locals had gone missing, not enough to make the front page though.

"And a few days ago, some bodies was found in the woods," Martie revealed further. "They say it seems to be an animal attack, because the bodies were savaged."

I wondered if... Yeah, there was definitely a possibility to it. If a group of bloodsuckers had been in La Push to kidnap a bunch of werewolves and then escape into the ocean, what would keep them from going anywhere they pleased. If it really was as Edward theorized, then Sam and the others could be under some bloodsucker's control. They could be using Sam or any of them to murder or hunt people for them. I didn't like the thought at all. I tried to not let that get to me.

Nessie noticed my sullen look. She pressed her face to my face. _What's wrong?_

I shook my head whilst grinning, trying to maintain as calm and collected as I could. Like nothing was wrong. Though we both knew better.

I took out my newest celllphone and texted. Martie looked on curiously, but before he leaned forward to look, Nessie touched his face with the same hand that touched mine a second ago.

MEETING AT YOUR HOUSE AFTER SCHOOL.

GOT A THEORY ABOUT SAM AND THE OTHERS.

I clicked "Send".

Nessie waited for me in the main hall after school.

"Hard biology?" she asked. "You've been looking a little blue since lunch."

I shook my head. "It was piece of cake. After all," I whispered to make sure no one could hear. "I've done it before."

She sighed, and touched my cheek.

"Let's go," I said and walked with her toward the parking lot, which was now covered in ice and thick snow reflecting the sunlight. After we drove out of town, I began explaning. "You know when Martie told you that people have gone missing in Benton City, and that someone had found bodies savaged in the woods." She nodded. "Your dad had a theory that someone's controlling Sam, that it's the only way to make an entire pack disappear at the same time." Nodded again, listening intently. "If that's really the case, then..." I said through my teeth, "they could be used to hunt people. And considering the distance and unusual activity in Benton City, it's possible that that's where they are, at least for the moment. I mean, vampires can run as far as they please, and so do the rest of us, but we all have to feed at some point."

She deliberated what I just said for a moment. "You think they might be in Benton City."

I nodded.

"And you want to check it out," she said.

I nodded again and said. "At least ask some of your family to help check it out. It's just a theory anyway."

She placed her hand to my hand on the shift stick. It felt nice, until a transparent image appeared in my head. Me and Nessie. Together.

"No!" I said in a sudden harsh voice. "Absolutely not!"

"Why?" she asked in a frightened voice, like I had just scared her.

I slid the Rabbit to one side of the road and carefully pressed the brakes until it stopped. I used a moment to calm down - I didn't wanna scare her again.

"I'm sorry, that was a little harsh. It's just..." I trailed off. "The thought of you..." I breathed while deliberating the words. "I don't want you to be any part of this."

Her eyebrows creased together, making a small dimple in the middle. "But, Jake, I want to help."

"I don't need your help," I said, harsh again, my hands began shaking. "Nessie, I don't want you to be any part of this, okay?"

She shook her head as violently as my trembling hands, her lips pursed. "No."

"I'm _not_ kidding! It's dangerous." The shaking began to spread to my arms.

"And neither am I," she argued in the same tone. "You really think I would let you be in any kind of danger just so that I could be safe? If you're gonna go out on a potentially dangerous investigation, then it is _my_ business to help. With or without my family to assist you, I will still come."

I was surprised to hear her talk like that. She had never spoken angrily before; the anger and determination instantly reminded me of Bella.

But I wasn't gonna change my mind. My head shook violently.

"Let's not talk about it," I gritted through my teeth. Nessie looked out the window and crossed her arms around her chest. I took the silent moment to calm myself.

Before I could restart the engine, something else caught my attention. Something far, far out in the woods. Too far for human ears to hear, a distant roaring. The roaring was of a distinctive predator, I recognized it from my time in the pack. Sam's roar. There was no mistake to that. I'd heard it too many times to mistake.

But why?

Why would Sam be in Cloverdale? I couldn't help but feel that the roar was meant for me. Like he wanted to see me.

Guess there was no other choice.

I turned to Nessie. Her wary eyes looked in the same direction. She had heard it, too.

"Stay in the car," I ordered strictly and left the car to follow the sound.

I jogged across the road into the woods, listening carefully to make sure no one was nearby and phased, tearing apart all of my clothes, except for the silver wolf necklace around my neck, and ran toward the sound.

_Sam?_ I called with my mind. _Sam, is that you?_

I felt the tenor of his mind. It _was_ him. I was thrilled for a second... till I realized there was no respond from his mind. Worse, I felt a surge of hostility directed from him. There was no friendliness or self in his mind.

I abruptly stopped my run and searched deeper into Sam's mind with whatever I could see through. He didn't even react to my intrusion.

_Get him!_ He screamed in my mind the same time he howled.

_Sam, what's wrong with you?_ I asked.

It was so strange: I recognized Sam's voice, but I also heard another one at the same time. They spoke together in unison, like one organism.

Before I could make out more of it, something else caught my attention. The sound of loud and fast paw thudding the ground approaching from the northwest. I could also hear loud growls rippling through the other wolves' chests. Hostile and aggressive. There was no mistake to that.

Why were they coming at me?

What a stupid question. Because Edward was right. They were under control. It was only a theory, but now it was official fact. The voice that spoke with Sam's was proof of that. Thomas's murderers had forced the pack under their control.

And now, they were coming for _me_, too. And they had the pack to help them out.

"Jake!" a voice caught my attention.

I turned around in panic, my breath almost broke the moment I heard her voice. Nessie was a good hundred yards away from me. It wouldn't be enough to escape the wolves when they got here. No, she can't be anywhere near them. I barked loudly at her, hoping that she would understand my warning.

_Run, Nessie,_ I barked again.

She met my eyes, but did not move from her spot. The thudding sounds were getting closer, stronger. I barked at her again, this time much louder, urgent.

She nodded quickly and then waved her arm. "Come on!" she screamed urgently.

I understood that one. She wanted me to run away with her. This I couldn't deny. Yes, if running away with her was what it took to keep her safe and prevent a fight with my own brothers, then I will. Four of the wolves, Paul, Brady, Jared and Kyle, were already emerging from the lifeless trees, a good 500 yards away. They growled as they came in our direction.

My paws pressed forward with more force than necessary as I sprang back to Nessie. She started running back toward the other side as soon as I was with her again. She ran across the highway in a blurry speed while I took one long leap to the other side. We both left the car on the road. There wasn't enough time to start it. And the wolves were fast enough to outrun my Rabbit, anyway.

We didn't slow. The Cullens were at the other end of the southern forest. All we needed to do was outrun Sam's controlled pack to get reinforcement. Edward will hear our thoughts from 3 to 5 miles away. Maybe Bella could save them, disconnect their minds. They were nearly by the highway when we ran into the cold woods.

We were both running at full speed, but I easily ran past Nessie by a few inches. If my speed was able to outrun hers so easily, I realized how they easily will catch up to her - no matter how fast she ran. She wasn't as fast as the rest of her family. Edward was fast even for a vampire that only Leah could outrun him.

But she wasn't. I was still outrunning her by inches. If we continued like this, she will be the first to...

No! I won't let that happen! I can't!

I slowed a small amount of my speed until I was one inch behind her.

"Jake, what're you doing?" she asked under her breath.

Putting myself on full speed again, I ran my nose and my head under Nessie's legs, and threw her over my neck. Moving as effectively as I could, I thrusted my neck upward and straightened my back, my front paws pressed hard against the white snowy ground. Nessie fell over my shoulder and landed safely on my back. Her hands clung agilely to the fur on my neck.

It all happened in a second. Hardly enough time for the others to catch up. They were a few yards closer, but not enough.

I picked up my speed and darted forward again. Nessie's weight slowed 1/10 of my speed, barely noticable.

They didn't slow down, and so wasn't I.

It took a second before I saw up ahead. A dark-haired vampire with a brawny build and two wolves of Sam's pack, Brandon and Kyle, were running directly at us. I stomped hard on the cold ground, skidding forward a few meters. I could probably fight my way through, but then, Nessie could risk getting hurt or get knocked off my back. And the others coming from behind will surely catch up.

_Damnit!_ I screamed internally.

I used half a second to make a new, rash decision. Nessie gripped my neck tight as I shifted my direction to southwest. Nessie's hand showed the bloodsucker, Brandon and Kyle changing course to follow as she watched theim with her very own eyes; Paul and the others were closer, too. I split my focus to both her transprent vision and the cold ground as I ran at full speed.

My focus shifted... AH!

Something hard and fast knocked me to the ground, breaking my run and sending my body to the side. Nessie fell off my back as she screamed. I fought to steady my feet again as soon as my body stopped rolling. It was too late. Ian, the last wolf, growled while he crouched, like a predator ready to jump at his prey at any second. Next to him stood a brunette female vampire and a black haired male vampire.

The other wolves caught up to us in one second. Their fangs bared wildly at us as they snarled. There was no way to escape now: they had us surrounded from every corner. I immediately jumped up and leaped to stand beside Nessie, who had flipped herself back on her feet. My teeth bared behind my furry lips, and a loud, hostile growl rippled through my chest as I stood protectively around her.

My calculations were a disappointment. There was no way to get out of this. No matter how fast I could try to move, they had us. Three bloodsuckers and eight wolves. They could probably knock me out before I could throw Nessie onto my back.

That didn't mean I was giving up, though.

_Guys, it's me, Jacob! Wake up, please!_ I called desperately, trying to break through whatever control they were under. But they didn't relax from their crouch, because none of them could hear my thoughts.

Their snarls continued. One of the bloodsuckers gave a smug smile as he glanced at us.

"Hmm. How curious," he said calmly, like a businessman duscissing paper files. "A wolf trying hard to protect a vampire hybrid."

I growled at the way he said _hybrid_, as if my Nessie was a pet of some sort. The anger rised through my chest; it was so strong that my chest almost hurt. My vision was clouded by a red tint in an instant. My muscles locked in place, fed and charged by the strength. My other senses worked more clearer as well. Over the next 40 meters, I could hear a stream running down north. From the sounds of the echoing rocks, I guessed there was a wide ravine.

The male bloodsucker stepped forward and held up his arms, but his smug smile didn't falter.

"Look, we can either solve this the hard way or the easy way," he said politely. The voice of a winner. I realized in that instant that we were on the losing side. Then I under the double meaning of the word _easy_.

Nessie moved to my side and touched my neck. She was wary with his words, too.

"There's no need for violence here, all we want is for you to join us," he continued. "If you would come, I promise we'll go easy on you."

I growled violently at him. And then, he looked smugly at Nessie.

"And we'll let the hybrid go, seeing how protective you seem to be of her, and we only need you."

She hissed at him. Her thoughts were as angry and violent as mine. I could feel the other side of her emerge itself, coming up to the surface. The violent, beast-like side. The vampire in her. She only showed this side when she was hunting a prey. Now, it resurfaced by the boiling charge of anger.

The male bloodsucker and the other two behind him grinned cockily, like they were entertained by our resistance.

"Or we could do this the hard way," he threatened, his smug grin didn't falter.

I snarled uncontrollably at the cocky bloodsucker. My rage grew incredibly strong that I could almost rip him apart with my teeth... if I didn't have to protect Nessie from his "gang of giant dogs and reeking leeches".

"Listen, dog," he hissed without removing his grin. "You could try to fight us, or you could try to run. But from the way I see it, you and the young one will be toast in one second. All I have to do is tell them -" he pointed to the wolves "- to attack, and then they'll have you in their mouths before you can even try to escape. You may be strong and bigger than the rest of them, but that doesn't mean you can take them all."

Nessie snarled angrily and lunged at him. I scowled to warn her, but she didn't stop. She thrusted her hand at the vampire's face. He caught it with a simple hand gesture. And then Nessie gasped, her knees faltered and fell weakly into his arms. My heart froze for a half second, like an eletric jolt had shocked my wolf heart as I watched her body turn and saw her petrified eyes and open mouth.

She had been harmed.

Driven by rage and instincts more powerful than self-preservation, I lunged myself toward the bloodsucker and Nessie. Before I could reach them, a wolf leaped at me and knocked me backward to the ground: Paul. His paws pressed me down with much force. I fought to get his weight off my body and stand back on my paws: the others were over me in an instant. All of them pressed me bit my legs, my paws and my back as they tried to knock me back down. I fought them back with all my strength, protecting myself and fighting my way back to Nessie in the bloodsucker's arms.

Something heavy and strong jumped up on my back. I tried to thrust him away. One wolf bit in through the skin of my paw before I could. I screamed at the pain, and then two more knocked me back down. I felt how the others sank their fangs into my skin and broke the bones on my legs and shoulders. My right ribs were severed by a strong, merciless wolf bite. I continued to fight, but I was too weak.

The others suddenly pressed their paws on my body while one of them: Kyle, locked my neck with his mouth. His fangs touched my skin, but did not sink in through them. I could see the bloodsuckers under their legs. The male bloodsucker carried Nessie in his arms, her frozen eyes stared in my direction. The other two behind him laughed loudly. They must have enjoyed the entertainment of a pack of wolves fighting against each other just to protect a hybrid.

"It's too bad," the leader said with fake sympathy. "We could've solved this peacefully. I mean, all we wanted was for you to come with us." He sighed. "Now, look what you've done." His nose sniffed on Nessie's face. I snarled and caught his attention again. "You know, little boy, if you would just comply, you can still solve this peacefully," he said politely and slowly moved his mouth to her throat.

I understood what he meant. And that was all it took to make my decision. It ached in my heart that I was so useless. Bella and Edward trusted me to be able to protect Nessie, their daughter, and now, the bloodsuckers had her in their arms. I had failed. But at least this was the one thing I could do, if that meant I could save her at all.

I started concentrating on quenching my anger, fighting back the strength that gave me the power to phase. To relieve myself. To be Jacob again. I needed to be in human form to be able to talk. My body instantly started changing. I felt how my bones crunched and twisted, and how the splinters seeped into my flesh. The pain of it was so unbearable that I screamed out in agony. My voice changed slowly from animal to human as my fur grew back inside. My right arm ached as it shifted; the paws turned back into fingers and my legs shortened. The bones continued to seep into the inside of my skin like blades plunging through my body. I didn't stop though. I needed to be human.

I _needed_ to protect her.

I fought against the pain to talk properly. "I beg of you. If you will leave her be, then I will go with you."

The vampire grinned victoriously and gently put Nessie down on the ground, and walked toward me. The other two behind him followed. The wolves in front removed their paws from my body and stepped aside, allowing him to pass to my side. One moment later, he knelt down beside me.

"Good boy," he said in a mocking tone.

The other wolves moved away. He moved his arms behind my shoulders and carried me from the ground. The splinters in my body reacted badly to the movement, and I was writhing in pain again.

"Hey, Arnold, why can't we have a little fun with this one?" the brawn vampire asked. His eyes were on Nessie. I immediately wanted to gouge them out of their sockets.

"You know what Nicholas said, Walker," the female vampire said and rolled her eyes. "We're just here for the dog."

I could hear the wolves running back toward the highway as the two vampires joined them soundlessly. The one who carried me, Arnold, started running, too. I looked past his shoulder at Nessie, who was still lying on the ground. Her eyes looked in my direction as I separated from her. The gravitation instantly compelled me to run back to her.

But I couldn't obey anymore. It was the only way to keep her safe. My heart burned painfully as I watched myself get torn away from her. Away from the one person who I wanted to be with in the whole world. The only one who kept me collected and meaningful.

_"I'm so sorry,"_ I mouthed. My eyes welled up in tears.

My injuries were beginning to heal, but it wasn't enough to heal the life-draining ache in my being. There was no way to make it disappear.

I was swallowed by the pain. Buried alive by it.

Nessie...

Renesmee...


	43. Be Strong

**CHAPTER 43 - BE STRONG**

**_Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful._**

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><p><strong>Renesmee<strong>

I laid frozen in the snow - it began to snow again minutes after they left with Jacob. It was a wonder that I could still notice the weather when I had more vital attentions.

Why couldn't I move? Worse, why couldn't I find the strength to move again? I tried to push my arms. Push my legs. To find the strength to stand back up on my feet and run after them. But I couldn't find any power. I was like a defenseless prey, about to be devoured by a predator crossed my path.

The vampire who touched me - Arnold, as I heard one of them name him - had somehow turned off all the power in my body when his palm caught my fist. I saw how they mangled Jacob - all of the wolves, his tribal brothers, slashed, bit and pressed him on the ground, making him as powerless as I was. I watched him roar out in pain when he reverted to human form.

_"I beg of you. If you will leave her be, then I will go with you,"_ he said while writhing in agony, like a tormented slave begging his master for mercy.

It went against the grain to hear him beg. To see him go down on his knees. Worse, he went down on his knees to protect _me_. And all I could do was watch him give in.

I didn't want to watch. I wanted to fight. To protect him. To shield him from the vampires who made the wolves ambush him, and hold him tight in my arms. Fight them and punch them to the ground. Tear them apart so that I could free Sam's pack and protect Jacob. I was ripped by the anger and pain that burst within me. It hurt so much to watch Jacob get ambushed, beat and tormented that I wanted to throw myself out of my enemy's hold and run to his side. The anger fueled my ferocious instincts.

But I was weak at the knees, completely powerless by the vampire's touch in one short second. And then, they forced me to watch Jake get ripped away from me.

He looked back at me when they carried him away. His pained expression directed at me, his eyes welled up in tears as he mouthed. _"I'm so sorry."_

It was really me who should be sorry.

I could fight for him. I couldn't protect him. The wolf that loved me from the moment I was born, and who I loved for 7 and a half years. I wanted to save him so badly, my heart ached at my failure.

Suddenly, exhaustion engulfed me as the anger diminished. My eyes fell down against my will. I didn't want to fall asleep. I wanted to keep myself awake. But the exhaustion was too overwhelming to bear.

"Nessie!" I heard someone call out my name. A familiar voice.

"Nessie!"

* * *

><p>I woke up to the familiar white ceiling in my room and found myself under the sheets of my bed. My head spun like a so fast that I couldn't comprehend what was going on. When it stopped, the first thing I remembered was the last thing I lived through. Was it all a dream? I fervently hoped that it was. I wanted it all to just be in my head. That Jacob was safe, and he was here.<p>

"Oh, honey, you're awake," Mom said delightfully and kissed my forehead enthusiastically.

"Mom," I whispered, and pushed myself up to lie my back against the bed. I had very vital questions to ask. "What happened? Where's... where's Jacob?"

Her delightful expression turned into a frown.

"Tell me," I demanded.

She didn't answer right away.

"We don't know, Nessie," she finally answered. "We waited for you to come home after school, and when you didn't come back, we went looking for you. When we found Jake's car, we followed your scents into the woods." She rubbed my head, trying to sooth me, but it did not help. "We also caught the scents of Sam's pack and vampires. Some of it was the same as the trail we found in Forks, but there was a new one, too. Your dad is looking for them up in the mountains with your uncles right now."

So that was it. It was real. It happened. I did fall to the ground, and they _did_ take Jacob away. And the wolves - Sam and his pack, has fallen under their control.

Jacob was gone. The wolves did attack us, and I did fall. The realization worked like a sharp stab to my heart.

My breathing fell out of order. I fought to calm myself, but the more I fought, the worse it got. I was suddenly choking my breaths, and tears ran uncontrollably down my cheeks.

Mom pulled me into her chest and held me there tightly. I started soaking down her shirt. When I was nearly done, someone entered the room.

"Did they find anything?" Mom asked.

I immediately pulled myself out of her arms and wiped away my tears. And then I saw Aunt Rosalie and Grandma at the doors.

"The trail led to the other side of the mountain and then disappeared in a river," Aunt Rosalie answered, her face grimaced.

Grandma came to my side and lay a hand on my shoulder.

"Renesmee, I understand this is going to be difficult, but... we need you to tell us what happened to you and Jacob," she said. "Everything you can remember."

The reminiscence immediately sent a strong, painful punch through my chest, and made a large hole. I didn't want to talk about it. Just the thought of it set the edges on fire. But even though I didn't want to talk about it, I knew that I needed to give them what they needed. So I touched Mom to show her everything that happened as I recalled every single detail.

Every recalling detail set the hole's edges on fire, but I endured the blazes to keep the memory flow going. I have to give as much as possible. My mind wanted to resist every memory of what happened. It got worse when I got to the last one; the most painful picture. I wanted to repress it more than anything else. It took so much out of my effort to push it out of my mind that the effort almost exhausted me.

My hands dropped automatically after that last, most painful memory. My shoulders suddenly felt so heavy that I fell to the side. Mom caught me back I could fall off the bed and nudged me onto her chest. I started sobbing again as the tears welled up in my eyes again. Grandma patted my shoulders gently, and Aunt Rosalie joined us on the bed and run her hand through my back.

"We'll find him, Nessie," Mom promised.

"We'll do whatever it takes to bring him back in one piece," Aunt Rosalie added.

I didn't know how they could promise me something so simple. They weren't anywhere near the area when they took him away. Aunt Alice couldn't see Jacob or Sam or any of the others, so she would not be able to find them. Dad never had the chance to read their minds to find out what they wanted. If those vampires were smart enough to lose a trail, they probably knew that my family would come looking. And they didn't want anyone to be able to track them.

So how were we going to find them if we didn't know where they were headed?

Five soundless movements darted through the front door, and two of them continued down the stairs. We all looked at the doors and saw Dad and Aunt Alice.

"Did you find them?" Mom asked impatiently.

They shared a grimace. That was all it needed for me to understand. I fisted my hands in frustration and anger.

Dad came to our side and took my hand into his.

"We're gonna find him, Nessie," he assured me.

Mom patted my back, and then leaned away from me.

"Get some sleep, sweetheart," she said in a whisper. The others leaned away, too. But I wasn't tired. In fact, I didn't want to sleep, I didn't want to waste a second while Jacob was in danger.

"I'm not tired," I said. And then more boldly. "I want to find Jacob."

A thought suddenly raced through everything else in my mind, and the city that Jacob told me earlier rushed into my consciousness.

Dad's eyes widened a little as he heard the city in my head, and then his eyes turned blank. At the same time, Aunt Alice released an annoyed snarl from her throat. Her eyes were blank, too. Mom, Grandma, Aunt Rosalie and I waited for them to finish whatever they were saw.

When they finally did, Dad looked at Mom with a serious face. She reflected his expression.

"What did you see?" she asked.

His lips pursed for a moment.

"Nessie was thinking about Benton City a second ago, and when I decided to look into it, Alice had a vision," he answered.

"An incredibly fuzzy one," she interjected with an edgy voice. "Which means they're probably there, but I could only see an abandoned house. Because I've been _blindfolded_." Her teeth gritted at that last word.

"Alice, focus. We need to co-ordinate. Carlisle'll be back in a half hour," Dad commanded. "Esme, would you mind calling Seth and warn him to tell the rest of the pack to stay put? It's best that they know so they won't fall into a trap like Sam's pack did."

"Of course," Grandma agreed easily and darted upstairs immediately.

Dad continued. "Rosalie, would you like to call Tanya, please? We may need to increase our numbers for this."

"Okay," she agreed and kissed my head before darting upstairs, too.

Mom brushed my arm and shoulder with her cold hand, trying to comfort me. It didn't help much.

"Don't worry, Nessie, we're gonna bring him back," she said in a sure voice. "Get some rest, you need to get some strength back. We'll let you know when we find something."

I wanted to wrestle with the idea of sleeping, but the second she brought up the subject, I felt utterly tired and defeated. She tucked me back under the sheets. Dad patted her shoulder and kissed my forehead before he sprinted upstairs.

I touched reached to touch her face and asked. _Are you worried about Jake, Mom?_

She nodded. "I'm not gonna hide it from you, Nessie. I'm _terrified_ for him."

_What am I gonna do?_

She frowned and stroke my forehead. "I don't know, sweetie. Only you can figure out the answer." Her lips lit up very slightly. "But I have the feeling that you will be able to figure it out. You know why?" When I didn't answer, she went on. "Because you have it in your blood."

I touched her again. _Did you go through the same thing?_

She hesitated.

_Tell me._

She deliberated a short moment. "Before you were born, Nessie, your father and Jacob fought for me. I know you already know about this, but I never told you how I made my decision.

"At first, I denied that I loved Jacob; that I thought of him as a brother or part of the family. I hid it all from myself, because I wanted to run away. And on some level, I knew that even though I loved Jacob, it wouldn't have changed my decision to be with your father forever. That my love for him wasn't as deep as my love for your dad.

"He eventually got me to admit my true feelings for him, but I stuck with my choice. I love your dad more than anyone else in the world, other than you, of course." She grinned proudly as she confessed. "After that, I confronted Jake about my decision."

"But you gave up so much."

She nodded. "But I received more than I ever could have imagined; I have you. What I've learned from this experience is that there are crossroads that you must come across in your life. Human, vampire or hybrid. Some choices may seem good only to you, so it's important for you to find out which road you should take. One that not only works best for yourself, but also for the people around you. And take the consequences that come with it."

_Did you suffer some consequences?_

She nodded. "By having a wedding. It's probably a silly thing to describe as miserable, but it was my way of saying goodbye to all of my human friends and family, and cut strings from my past. And embrace the future."

_Do you think I'll know what to do for Jacob?_ I wondered.

She nodded slowly. "I'm sure when the time is right, you'll know exactly what to do. And something tells me you're strong enough to make the right choice and stick to it."

I nodded. Then she leaned down and kissed my forehead. "Now, get some sleep, I gotta go upstairs to help your dad," she said. "We _will_ find him, Nessie. I promise."

I nodded again. She turned off the light, closed the door behind her and darted upstairs.

**Edward**

My head kept hearing the enthusiastic thoughts of my brothers'. I did my best to ignore them as I searched through the internet for Benton City's recent news. Mostly about evidence of animal attacks.

_Those nomads must be really smart to lose tracks this way,_ Jasper thought. _I wonder what their motif might be. Seems to much plotting to..._

_Man, finally some excitement,_ Emmett mused himself enthusiastically. _I can't wait to get started._

I redirected my attention to Rosalie on the phone with Thomas.

"They took 'Jacob the Dog', and now we have to find him and the rest of his stinky packs of dogs," she said bitterly. But beneath the bitter voice, she was worried, too. She would do anything to protect her little niece, and finding Jacob meant everything to her at this point. To me as well. And not just for my daughter's sake.

_"They're the same ones that killed my family?"_ Thomas asked through a restrained voice.

She didn't answer. Instead, she sprinted to my side and handed the phone to me.

"Hey, Thomas," I began. "Yes, they're the same ones who attacked Cloverdale last Halloween... and the same ones that killed your family. At least some of them. I recognized the scent."

A low crack sounded from his side.

"Calm down, Thomas. I know what you're thinking right now even though I can't hear your thoughts from this range, but you need to listen to what I have to say. We need to add numbers to our advantage. Can you tell Tanya and the others to meet us in Benton City as soon as tomorrow? Kate and Fred might be of use to us right now."

_"Yeah... sure,"_ he said through a rough, barely controllable voice.

"And one more thing. I know you want revenge, but June needs you more. She's still a newborn, and she needs you by her side for the moment. Promise me you'll give it some thought before you decide."

He didn't answer for a long moment. When he spoke again, his voice was strained with frustration. _"Yes, you're right."_

I nodded; part of me was relieved that he did not argue. But my other part wrestled with the idea. Of all of us, Thomas was our strongest weapon. We could need him for this. But June needed him _more_.

Someone carefully took the phone out of Thomas's hand.

_"We'll be there as soon as tomorrow night, Edward,"_ Tanya said.

"Thank you."

With that, she hung up. I was about to join Emmett, Esme and Jasper in the living room when I turned around and saw Bella. Her sullen and pained expression compelled me to comfort her - and I did. I knew what was on her mind, even without having to hear it.

"Don't worry, Bella," I whispered into her ear - I had to make sure Renesmee's didn't hear me. None of us wanted to stir her up if we could help it.

"I know," she whispered back. "I just wish that we had some real plan, something to execute. I just hope he's alright. Edward, I'm scared. He's part of this family now."

I held my arms around her and pulled her into my chest, holding her tightly. "I know. That's why I'm gonna do whatever it takes to bring him back. We all will."

She held me more tightly, sobbing tearlessly.

The others eavesdropped on us. Esme and Rosalie were concerned for Jacob. Emmett was mostly excited to have a chance to fight... again. Jasper and Alice were concerned for both Jacob and Renesmee.

Carlisle's wary thoughts invaded my head when he came into my hearing range.

**Thomas**

Tanya, Kate, Fred and Garrett set off one minute before Eleazar and Carmen and then they were gone, too. I was left on the porch of their Victorian house, with rage boiling like open flames in my solid veins, burning the tissues of my body despite they were ice-cold.

Those vampires - the murderers of my family...

The thought of their death fueled my hatred and ferocious side - I wanted so badly to rip them apart that my vision was clouded by a red film, to make them go through exactly what my family went through and make them feel what it was like to experience a painful death. Everything in my eyesight turned crimson bright. My fists gripped so hard that the strength in them could almost break through my hard skin. The more the thought lingered in my brain, the more I wanted to give in to it. To let the anger take over.

"Sam?" a piercing voice called out to me. The only voice that could reach my ears at this point.

The fiery agony and hatred dimmed slightly and my other desire made itself known again. The red film in my vision faded a little.

June stood across the hall inside the house. The content in her thoughtful expression reminded me of what kept me where I was at this point. The one other desire that was strong enough to war with my vengeful urge.

June's crimson eyes stared intently at me. Bright red - the eyes of a newborn. She was barely one month old; and even though she matured much faster than I did, she was still new. I had promised to be by her side at all times after she obtained immortality. And I promised that I would keep her out of trouble until her first year was over. If I left for Benton City to help my family now - and get even on the murderers of my previous one - I would be turning my back on my word.

Both desires tore me apart. I wanted to go find my murderers; but I was stuck where I was to support my love.

She crossed to my side without looking away from me, and took my hand.

"Let's go," she said, a smile brightened her face. "Together."

I froze.

She wanted to go back? To help me avenge my human family? To help protect my new one?

"But June, I can't just..." I tried to say, but she put her index finger between my lips, silencing me abruptly.

"This isn't about me, Sam," she said in a sure voice, then her expression hardened slightly. "It's about you, the family that you've lost and the family that needs you at this point.

"I know it's a risk, but if there's any way that I can try to help, I want to. I _want_ to get revenge on your family's murderers, too. And I want to help them. Esme, Bella, Nessie... they've all been good to me. And most importantly, I can see how torn up you are. Because you want to go, too, but you're stuck here because of me."

"June..." I tried again, only to be silenced again.

"I may still be a newborn, but I'm sure I can be of help. Sam, Carlisle said so himself; I'm almost as mature as Bella when she was a newborn. I trust you and the others to keep me grounded when I lose it." Then she said in a determined voice. "Let's catch up to Tanya before they hit the highroad. I'll hide in the car until we get there."

I was touched to the core. Even as a newborn, she was considerate and selfless. And she thought for me. Her words won me over.

I nodded in defeat, gently yanked her across the threshold to the porch, and locked the door. Our hands touched. I looked into her bright red eyes intently for one short moment.

And then we both ran.


	44. Powerless

**CHAPTER 44 - POWERLESS**

**_Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful._**

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><p><strong>Jacob<strong>

Arnold dropped me on the stone-hard floor as if I was some meaningless pet. I stood on my feet. My wounds had healed completely by now, so it didn't hurt much.

Sam and the others scattered to the corners of the hall. In the distance, I heard a clapping sound and two sets of footstep coming out of the shadows. The darkness was so thick that it clouded my vision, though I could still tell by the loud echo that it was a huge place. The vibes echoed distantly from the walls. So the place must be huge. Perhaps a warehouse of some kind, or maybe an abandoned mansion.

"Nicely done, Arnold," a deep male voice complimented. His footsteps closed the distance between me and him. "Now we have them all."

I stood on my feet to face the dark figure in front of me. Despite the thick darkness, it was easy to see his size and build. Muscular, but lanky and barely tall enough to reach my chin. A smaller dark figure stood closely behind him. The bigger bloodsucker approached me.

"Nice necklace," he said and approached to touch the pendant that dangled on my stomach. I caught his hand before he could touch it and quickly yanked it off. The smell of his burning fragrance was vaguely familiar, like I'd smelled it from somewhere before.

Before I knew it, someone else pushed me to the floor.

"How dare you?" a female voice said through her teeth.

"Easy, Nora," the figure said and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure he's just being loyal. After all, the wolf and the hybrid are quite protective of each other. Which would make her and the rest of her coven very useful if we can persuade them to join us."

I looked up at them fiercely and asked in a sharp voice. "What do you mean?"

Someone sighed as I got back on my feet.

"Oh, the dog's concerned for its owner, huh?" the figure teased darkly, and then continued. "You see, we didn't just want you and you packs." I understood before he told me. "It's true that I wanted you in the first place, but then I figured that since the Cullens were powerful enough to thwart the Volturi... Well, let's just say it would be a huge addition to us."

My head filled with fiery anger as realization came to the surface. They - these twisted bloodsuckers - weren't happy enough with me? Didn't they get what they wanted today? They wanted me, and they held Nessie hostage to make me surrender, and I did. Wasn't that supposed to be enough? I gave up everything, my pack's freedom, my life. And most importantly, _her_. But they weren't satisfied with me or Sam or the others; they wanted Nessie and her family, too?

The blazing fury burst through my chest, sending the animal out of me again. I was on all four paws in one half second. My improved sight broke through the overwhelming darkness, and I saw the face of the supposed leader. And I recognized him at once. One of vampires who attacked the school last Halloween... and the only who got away. And then, something else caught my eye. One of the females vampires behind him, the one appeared with him. The victim Jessica - or _newborn_, for a better term. I could see the colors of her pale skin and her blood red eyes despite the lack of light in the area. Of all the times everyone thought she was dead, she was a vampire. She looked intensely at me.

"Put him down," she whispered the same time Sam's voice reflected the sentence.

I was suddenly pressed to the ground again when the howling wolves jumped on me. All of them immobilized me completely, pressed me to the ground from head to tail.

"Aw, look," the other female, Nora, teased darkly. "The puppy's all stirred up. Why don't you get on with the treatment, Jessica?"

She grinned at her. It took me a moment to understand the word, _treatment_. My muscles struggled and tried to break free of the other wolves' hold on me. Their combined effort continued to keep me grounded, but I didn't give up. One of the paws slipped under and I quickly used the opening to loose further. A hand grabbed the end of my tail, and then suddenly I was stiff. Weak to the ground, absolutely defenseless. My motivations dulled completely. I couldn't even find the strength to move my paws or to bark. It was like being drugged by morphine. The hand removed from my tail.

"He was getting noisy," Arnold murmured.

"Well done," the dark-haired leader complimented and wrapped his arm around Nora's shoulders and shared a smile with her, then turned to Jessica. "Let's get on with it, Jess. It's about time. Arnold, you know what to do."

I couldn't see what he was doing. Five seconds after their conversation ended, all of the wolves fell down on top of me. All of them weighted tons heavier than when they were pushing me to the ground, but it did seem like they were holding me anymore. My paws were no longer locked down, and I felt their bodies slide down my back. Jared's head slid down my shoulder until it fell three inches away from my face. His eyes were closed. And then I realized they weren't just physically weakened like me, but in slumber. This was probably the strongest extend of Arnold lurky gift. To turn his opponent into a completely helpless target by weakening them.

My attention shifted instantly when Jessica, the newborn, took shallow steps toward me. Each step she took sent a deep shudder. I knew what she was going to do with me - the same thing she did to the others. And there was nothing I could do to stop it from happening. The realization sent a question into my head: What will happen now? What will happen after she'd taken over my mind? Will they make me go after the Cullens? Bella? _Nessie?_

I tried to growl at her, to frighten her away, but I could barely breathe. The paralysis completely had me under. She took another step closer. Only a few more before I...

_No!_ I won't let her get to me. I won't give them what they want! I _won't_ let them make me hurt my Nessie! I struggled to feel my muscles again, to find my strength to get back on my feet. She took one more step. And then, I felt _something_. Some small amount of strength slipped through my frozen core.

I quickly used it to send a bark through my mouth. When she abruptly stopped, I realized I had succeeded. The leader and Nora stared at me in shock.

The power in me continued to rise and I found my paws again. But before I could press myself out of the pack's piled up weight, a hand caught my tail. Before I could whip it off, my strength failed again and I fell back down on the floor. I didn't give in, though.

I fought to find strength in my muscles again, to motivate my body. The immobilization and my will fought against each other, and neither side was winning. My paws were barely moving, and my throat barely released a growl.

"Now!" Arnold screamed.

I fought more strongly, doubled the effort. The immobilization lingered on as it tried to overpower, but I didn't give in.

Jessica lifted my face, and pressed her hands harshly on my mouth, forcing my teeth shut. Her eyes bore into mine. And then, I lost it all. My motivation disappeared, along with my consciousness, my will. My _self_.

I could no longer see, hear or touch anything. I was trapped in the darkness of my own mind.

**Bella**

Edward was the first to reach Renesmee's room before her high-pitched scream echoed through the walls. Rosalie, Esme and I half a second behind him.

"Nessie!" he shook her anxiously and woke her up.

I quickly rushed to them and pulled my daughter into my arms.

"It was just a dream," she muttered under her breath. "It was only a dream."

"Yes, it was just a dream," I agreed. "It's alright." I felt wretched for saying that, when _nothing_ was alright.

Her murmurs turned into sobs. Edward brushed her hair down to her shoulder, but she didn't stop crying. Rosalie and Esme joined us on the bed to comfort her.

After a moment, she composed her sobbing and said. "It wasn't a dream, Mom. I saw it like it was right there in front of me. It was too real, too horrible."

I wasn't surprised. Last September, she ran down to La Push to visit Jacob, because she felt his pain. She knew that he was hurting from the loss of Billy then. So, why would it be weird for her to feel Jacob's pain right now?

They were made for each other, I'd come to terms with that a long time ago.

I composed myself from fisting my hands. If they were going to take away my best friend, a prominent person in my family, and the love of my daughter's life, they were making a terrible mistake. I will not let them get away with it. No matter what, I will find Jacob and bring him back.

"Don't worry, Nessie," I said in a sure voice. "I'm gonna bring him back."

Edward, Rosalie and Esme comforted her.

"Everything in our power, Nessie," Edward promised. "We'll find him and bring him back."

I met his eyes, and I knew we were thinking the same thing. Together, we'll bring him back.

"We will, too," Emmett confirmed - I didn't realize the rest of our family was in the room, too. "All of us."

We turned around to see them properly, even Nessie looked over my shoulders. In Emmett's eyes, there was no eagerness to fight or bloodlust, just determination.

"Jacob is a part of our family," Jasper said in a sure voice. Alice grinned at him.

Carlisle smiled gently as he nodded.

Yes, we will find him and bring him back. Together. But then I thought about Thomas and June - the latest additions to our family, and then my confidence fell one level.


	45. Courage to Face It All

**CHAPTER 45 - COURAGE TO FACE IT ALL**

**_Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful._**

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><p><strong>Carlisle<strong>

Alice waited in her Porsche at the end of our driveway with Jasper while Emmett and Edward readied the Jeep and the Vanquish. Alice and Edward had mapped down the potential locations. We had spent the night researching Alice's description of a deserted Victorian mansion near Benton City. The closest resemblance was five miles outside of town, and that was where we were going to check out first.

"Is everything set?" I asked Edward.

He nodded. "Tanya will be meeting us there tonight. Alice had a vision that the sun will be clouded by 2pm, so it will be better if we stay in our cars until then."

Renesmee waited calmly on the porch, but Jasper and Edward said that she was merely forcing herself to stay collected, to keep herself from falling apart. Bella had tried to persuade her from leaving with us, but she insisted to go. No matter how hard Bella and Edward tried to persuade her, she refused to listen.

"I'm not going to sit at home and wait for you guys to bring the news to me. I want to find him. I know that I _can_ find him. Please, let me go with you," she pleaded, and that changed their minds.

Jasper did not attempt to make her falter, because he also believed she had the right to come along. And most importantly, she wanted to bring Jacob back personally. Her bond with him was special. Perhaps that could be of help. That did not ease Bella or Edward's anxiety, though.

Whoever wanted Jacob and his packs was very smart. They had managed to keep their actions on a fairly low profile, anticipated our moves and made theirs so carefully that they managed to avoid Edward and Alice's detection. And, with the packs on their side, Alice could not tell how many more they might have added to their number.

My greatest concern was Thomas. We had confirmed that his murderer was involved in this coven; and according to Alice, he was driven by vengeance and eagerness to hunt him down and exact revenge for his family.

No matter the situation, I deeply hoped for a peaceful resolve, for all of our sakes. For Jacob's family, for the enemy, and mostly, for my own family.

"It's time, Carlisle," Rosalie acknowledged. "We should leave now."

I nodded and went into the garage to get my Mercedes. Renesmee followed me in to get her Chevrolet and Esme and Bella tagged along. She froze at the sight of her Suzuki; Jacob's Christmas present. Bella followed her glance to the bike, and then comforted her.

When everyone got into their seats, we took off.

**Alice**

I spent the next hours driving _and_ keeping track of the paths of the Denalis and the 'wolf-nappers', as I called them. My visions constantly shifted from one to another, never quite making sense.

These blind spots frustrated me so much that I wanted to scream!

_Someone suck the immortality out of me!_ I thought to myself.

I sighed mentally. Jasper placed his hand on mine above the stick. I immediately began to feel better, but it wasn't because of his gift.

At least, out of all this complication, we were sure that the coven was quite familiar with us. By our collective knowledge, we concluded that they probably knew what the wolves were capable of, and most likely, what the rest of us were capable of, too. They might be expecting us to find them and walk into their trap, which Edward could hear in their minds _if_ they did set one. But even though we had a mind reader, we could never really tell what they had plotted. At least they wouldn't be expecting our cousins and our newfound siblings. This was our only advantage.

Bella, Thomas, Fred and Kate were our strongest weapons if a fight was commenced. Eleazar might even be able to sense if someone else had a potentially dangerous extra skill. June was only created almost one month ago, but she was still stronger than the rest of us. Hopefully, she would have enough restraint to keep herself from attacking people and the wolves, and, most importantly, my niece. As soon as I thought of her, my vision shifted to her and the others roaming around Benton City. She was hiding under blankets in the car, still deadset on maintaining as much restraint on herself as possible.

I shifted my focus back to the coven, but _that_ future was very blurry. Too concealed to make much sense. The only thing I could see was the abandoned house that I saw earlier. The wolves probably did not know where they were captured, that was the only logical explanation - how else could I have see it? The moment we decided to look it up, though, it disappeared right out of my sight.

We reached the little town after four hours and 32 minutes of fast driving. Carlisle and Esme separated from us near Benton City to wait for the Denalis. The rest of us drove past the city to find the place that I saw in my vision. I didn't know how much good _that_ had done, but at least it was a clue.

Edward's Volvo and Nessie's Chevrolet slowed and pulled to the side, and then stopped. The rest of us did the same, even though we weren't sure why. The house was still too far for our eyes, but I realized we were on the right track the moment we got out of the car and inhaled the smell. Vampires and shape-shifters mixed together in the breeze, barely noticeable under the fragrance of cooling raindrops. The winter season began to shift last night. Edward focused on Renesmee the whole time, and Bella followed his glance.

"What is it, Edward?" Emmett asked and sniffed. "Are we there?"

"Not yet," he answered without looking at him, "but Nessie seems to have sensed something. She was thinking hard about Jacob's whereabouts and then she felt something. Like a magnetic pull that compelled her in another direction."

"Very strongly," Jasper interjected as he focused intently on her. He must have sensed her emotions when he got out of the Porsche.

We all looked at Nessie the second she pointed forward with her index finger.

"There," she said, "I can feel him."

With that, she broke into a run toward the direction of the trail. Edward and Jasper were the first to follow her. The scents got stronger and stronger as we ran, despite the falling rain that was washing away the trail. We followed it through the quiet forest.

I saw it, then. The same Victorian house that appeared in my vision and the picture from last night's research. My glimpse did not show much than the general size and structure, but now that it was in front of my own eyes, I could see it perfectly. Dark and old, abandoned for decades. The bricks on the roof were so old that it looked like they hadn't been replaced for years. The front doors were ancient, covered. Even the front yard was covered in mud and melting ice. Even the fragrance was real. Clear vampire perfume and disgusting dog smell; it didn't repulse me anymore.

"We're here," Nessie declared.

"We're here," Edward repeated and then commanded. "Rosalie, call Carlisle, please?"

"No problem," she agreed and paced away to take out her cellphone.

I scanned the house in case someone was watching from the inside. There was nothing. I was interrupted by Edward's wary warning.

"No, Nessie, not now. They're waiting for us."

"They knew we would come?" Bella asked in surprise.

He nodded. "I can hear their thoughts. There's too many of them, we can't face them outnumbered. We have to wait for Carlisle and Esme to catch up to us."

Rosalie was back with us again. "They're already outside the town. They'll be with us in a few minutes."

Edward nodded. Then he grabbed Nessie's arm and reasoned. "Nessie, I feel your desperation, but if you run in there before they arrive, they'll jump on us."

Emmett snorted. "Bring 'em on."

Bella punched him hard on the shoulder, then went to Nessie's side to wrap her restraining arms around her shoulders. My little niece's face hardened in agony. Edward closed in and had his arms around her as well. Then Rosalie, too.

"We'll get him back today, Nessie," she assured her. "It's a promise."

Bella nodded in agreement.

The rain dropped heavily on us when Carlisle and Esme finally caught up to us.

"Tanya and the others will be two miles behind, waiting for our signal," Carlisle said.

We readied ourselves for the army awaiting us. I wasn't afraid, and I knew they weren't either. Whatever was coming for us, we will face it together.

Yes. We will protect each other, bring Thomas's murderer to justice and bring Jacob back into our lives.

Jasper held my hand, and I grinned at him. Bella and Edward had their arms around Nessie's shoulders and shared looks. Carlisle and Esme looked into each other's eyes genuinely. Emmett and Rosalie shared a passionate kiss. My vision shifted to five seconds ahead, and then I saw them, too - Thomas and June. Their eyes focused intently up front at the same house. Despite the vengeful desire that emitted so obviously from his eyes, I could see something else. The will to protect something precious. June's expression was calm and collected. I could tell in her crimson eyes that she wanted to help protect what was important to Thomas - what was important to her now. And that came with full determination.

My vision shifted back to the present. And then, just like that, we sprang toward the dark house.


	46. Fury

**CHAPTER 46 - FURY**

**_Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful._**

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><p><strong>Jasper<strong>

I felt a wave of weariness from everyone. Emmett was more excited for the action than the rest of us. Renesmee courageous. Esme worried for our sakes. Carlisle hopeful. Edward warily looked ahead, listening intently to the thoughts inside the house. I wished I could tell what our enemies were feeling, but unlike his gift, mine was more limited. The walls of the mansion were the blockage.

_Do they know we're here?_ I thought at Edward.

He nodded.

"C'mon, lets go," Emmett said impatiently and pressed his hands against the giant door to push it open.

The main hall inside was covered in darkness, shady light burst crossed through the door and lit up the floor and the surroundings. The sun was completely hidden behind rain clouds.

I didn't pay attention for long. The moment Emmett opened the door, a new wave of emotions burst through me, like a lid being lifted from the bottle. Excitement, anticipation, thirst, and the most dominating emotion of all: ambition. These mixed feelings reminded me of my time in Maria's army.

"I'll go in first," Carlisle said calmly and walked ahead, a few paces away from Esme. Edward joined him quickly.

The rest of us followed into the wide main hall with a two-halved staircase, which was ten times larger than the one in our home.

A strong wave of ambition struck into my core. It was so powerful that I could feel the direction it was emitting from.

"Welcome, everyone. I've been awaiting your arrival," a gentle male voice greeted from the top of the staircase.

We all looked up at the male vampire, pleased at our arrival. A female vampire stood beside him and looked down on us. She was equally pleased to see us. Another male vampire lingered closely behind them, cautiously watching our moves.

"Oh, pardon my lack of hospitality," the leader said. "I'd meant to tidy up the place, but you see... caring for a bunch of kids ain't no easy thing to do, especially when they're so _young_. And then there're the wolves."

Nessie's anger flared internally.

"Ah, how rude of me," he went on. "I haven't formally introduced myself. I'm Nicholas, and this is my mate, Nora, and that is Arnold. I believe we met some of you a few years back."

I felt the conflicting emotions coming both from my family and our enemies. Anger and restraint dominated Edward, Bella and Nessie - deep, stabbing pain fit into her emotions as well. Carlisle optimism. Emmett beamed with excitement, eagerness and enthusiasm.

Edward stood wearily beside Carlisle.

"I'm Carlisle, this is my family: Edward, Bella, Renesmee, Esme, Jasper, Rosalie, Alice, and Emmett."

The male immortal behind them, Arnold, winked.

"Yes, I know," he replied. "I saw your granddaughter yesterday."

The anger in Nessie flared uncontrollably stronger and more violently and sent a loud snarl up her throat. Bella noticed this and gently held her in place, even though she herself was engulfed in fury.

"We have come to retrieve someone you took from us," Carlisle said calmly.

Nicholas snorted, ambition still lingered in the front.

"My apologies, I needed his help and I didn't think you'd be so offended for taking something without permission. You see, Carlisle, I have a gift for sensing the best potential in others, vampire or werewolf or human. And I've seen the potential of your wolves -" Bella hissed at his word "- and I believe that they could be very useful to bringing down the Volturi.

"But unfortunately, they're not gonna be enough if we're to take out their strongest guards. We need something more: we need you."

I flinched at his idea.

"This was all a test to us?" Edward asked through his gritted teeth. I could feel his anger fuel, burning stronger it became uncomfortable for me. He wasn't the only one, either. I could feel the mixed fury from Nessie, Bella, Alice and myself.

Carlisle rested a reassuring on Edward's shoulder, and then looked back to the three vampires. "Why do you need our help?"

"Why, I thought you would have figured it out," Nicholas teased. "We already have quite some numbers, but unfortunately, they have two guards that are too powerful for anyone to take on. We'll fail before we can even touch one of the ancients. That's why we need your son to track their thoughts and your daughter to watch their plans, but most importantly, we need your daughter-in-law to protect us from them." His eyes flickered to each of us. " Of course, the rest of your family is welcome as well. We do need more in our group."

Nessie was instantly overcome by her bursting fury, shook off Bella's arms and began to sprint forward before Edward caught her hands and restrained her. Carlisle assisted, too.

"Why?" she hissed angrily, but otherwise didn't attempt to shove her way free. "Why are you doing this? Why the shape-shifters?"

Nora, Nicholas's mate, chuckled coldly. "Oh, look, the half-breed's getting all steamed up over her pet-boyfriend."

We all snarled angrily at her comment. I did not like how her antagonism was affecting me.

"Whoa! Easy," Arnold urged, slightly shaken. "Listen, we're simply offering a way to solve this peacefully and get what we want at the same time. Nicholas here is making a compromise for you to protect your wolf."

I tried to interpret their words. I didn't like the way they said _protect_; the contrary to their threatening ambitions. Edward looked warily at them while repressing his anger. Emmett's enthusiasm had faded into weariness, too. Esme and Rosalie worried.

Nicholas, the leader, eyed at me, and then shifted to Alice and every member in our family. I was surrounded by a pool of mixed emotions, but that didn't make mine fade away. I forced to repress my own anger to stay in position. Giving in to my feelings wasn't going to help the situation. We needed to know what they were plotting, and, more importantly, where the wolves were held captive. Thomas will certainly break into the confrontation into a fight the moment he got here. We have to find out everything we could before he arrived with the Denalis.

A second barely passed. Carlisle took a step forward.

"We do not wish to go up against the Volturi in any way," he said calmly. "We have come for one purpose only. To free our friends.

"The shape-shifters have been our allies for years now, and we have come to terms with each other. We have no desire to fight you, but we don't have any desire to oppose the Volturi, either. If you decide to oppose them, that is not our business. But we will free our friends today. And we _will_ fight you if you leave us no choice."

There was no hint of hesitation in his determination. He meant what he said. Even though he was well aware of Thomas's affairs with this coven, he was still hoping for a peaceful resolution.

The other side had no desire for peace, though.

"It seems we've got to a bit of a dilemma," Nicholas said calmly and chuckled. His mood darkened slightly. "You see, Carlisle, it is our intention to dethrone the Volturi and pull off their crowns. We have grown tired of their pretenses, to make it look like they are the righteous ones when they are merely suppressing our freedom, maintaing the supposed order that they've created so long ago to control our kind. And we need your coven for that purpose." His mood darkened more. "But if you refuse, then I'm afraid we will have to solve this some other way."

Edward growled with such burning fury that he could hardly keep his feet in place. Nessie, Bella and I hissed angrily at the double meaning of _solve this some other way_. His confidence did not falter by our threatening pose. My fury grew so strong that I could barely contain it; my vision tainted with a crimson color. His figure was darkest red. If he wanted to attack, I wouldn't hesitate to make him taste fear. He needed a good surge for that. He _deserved_ that.

Emmett was on the edge of his bloodlust. The only thing that kept him from jumping on Nicholas was his greater desire to preserve us. To keep the situation as steady as possible for the rest of us. Despite all the compelling urge to fight, he still cared for our family. Enough to keep him in place.

"Aside from the Volturi, your coven is the largest than we have encountered," he continued. Then his gaze shifted around us again. "And you have some rather unique members. That is why I'm afraid we can't let you go free at the risk of the Volturi gaining your aid."

That did it. His threat drove us to the edge. My mind was instantly flooded with dangerously explosive anger and blood lust, both my own and the others'. In that moment, I felt _their_ blood lust, and I realized that they weren't planning on letting us leave this mansion alive.

The others weren't oblivious to the outburst, either. Alice, Rosalie, Esme, Edward, Bella and Nessie all growled loudly and crouched, and braced themselves for the battle that was obviously on the way. Emmett's excitement and bloodlust was beginning to overwhelm him now. Bella loosened her grip on Nessie and traced down to her hand to keep her safe. Edward moved a few steps backward and stood protectively in front of his wife and daughter. Carlisle was the only one who was calm, though underneath all that optimism, the anger wasn't unnoticeable. Just subtler and less intense.

Arnold smiled smugly and snapped his fingers. Soundless footsteps immediately fluttered from upstairs and caught our attention. Just then, a male vampires emerged from the staircase upstairs and leaped down in front of us, forming a barrier between us and Nicholas's team. The vampire had a comparable physique like Emmett's. There was bloodlust in his core, too, but he was in control. They all had conquering grins. The grins of victory.

Then another set of louder noises thudded from upstairs and caught our attention again. Alice held my hand tightly.

"It's them," she murmured while looking up at the top of the staircase.

**Bella**

A wolf emerged from the top of the staircase and leaped down in front of the newborns with a heavy stomp to the ground. _Sam_. I recognized him from his pitch black fur. His fangs bared at us. More emerged then. Paul, Jared, Brady. Everyone in the pack jumped down from upstairs, creating a horde in front of us. All of them growled with open fangs. None of them recognized us.

The obnoxious vampires grinned as though they had caught a herd of elks right into a trap.

I immediately shielded Renesmee with my arm, and reflexively blew out my shield to protect my family. I didn't want to take any chances.

Wonder if I could...

**Edward**

I listened intently to all of their thoughts. The wolves, all of them, were controlled by the one mind that invaded Sam's. All of them were enslaved because the Alpha wolf fell under their control. Worse, I could hear their minds working as one, under control by an absent vampire who directed his thoughts into Sam's and subsequently into the rest of his pack.

The brawny vampire, Walker, waited impatiently for the battle to commence. Nora was obnoxiously enjoying their all-too-early victory.

Arnold and Nicholas grinned confidently as they deliberately reminisced their in-plan strategies. I could see it all in their minds. And it frightened me. Not because they planning on threatening our lives with the wolves, but because they were using the _wolves'_ lives to threaten us. Nicholas was counting on using our friends' lives to mold us. If we continued to refuse, he will order one of them to be killed. The vampires could drain that wolf while we watched impotently. They were making their point to me.

It didn't look like we had a choice.

Except we did.

Nicholas and the others weren't aware to our surprise attack. If we gave our cue and distracted them long enough, then there might still be a chance to save us all.

The fight will begin at any time now. There really was no other choice. If we were to stop them and save our friends, this was our only option.

Nicholas eyed confidently at me. _Better not test my patience, I could have one of them dead while the rest of you sit back and deliberate,_ he thought at me.

"Carlisle," I gritted through his teeth. "Let's do it. They're threatening us with the wolves' lives. We have no choice but to do _it_."

_You mean...?_ he knew I wasn't talking about surrendering. I nodded without looking away.

He looked down and sighed, disappointed by the turn of events. "If that is what this comes to," he mumbled. His hand fished into his pocket and quickly picked out a handgun.

_Finally!_ Emmett shouted.

Everyone readied.

He fired at the ceiling.

**Thomas**

A loud gunfire echoed from inside the house. This was our cue. _My_ cue.

June held my hand.

"It's time," Tanya announced quickly. "Come on."

We all sprang toward the mansion at full speed. June and I reached the front entrance first. We broke the doors down with a smash from our palms.

One thing shocked me the moment we entered the main hall. The angry wolves. I was only familiar with Jacob, but Edward had told me that the rest of his packs were our friends, too. Even after Rosalie told us that they were under control of the vampires, I was still shocked to see the hostile expressions on their faces.

In that moment, three things happened. We sprinted across the main hall to our family's side. June stood behind me - she wanted to keep distance for Nessie's safety; the wolves and the opposing vampires eyed at us with one emotion: shock. They had not counted on reinforcement; and finally, I inhaled the scents and recognized the fragrance. The same smell that I found last year in Forks. The same scent of the vampires who murdered my family and made me who I was today.

The same ones who took my life away from me with a bite...

The scent was mixed with many others, but it was impossible to be covered. It was the scent of _my_ murderer.

I snarled uncontrollably at the vampires up front, knowing that one of them was my creator, and also my target. The others were probably co-murderers of the rest of my family. I was so furious that my tongue tasted like iron. My body shook with fiery anger like a power surge, spreading throughout my muscles. My vision tainted entirely with deep crimson. My murderers were the darkest red.

The wolves snarled furiously at me. I reciprocated. Eyeing at my enemies made the pictures in my mind more vivid. The burning pain, the high pitched screams from my lungs, the fear of enclosing death. Death that took away my family and left me as death itself.

"Thomas!" a voice called to me.

I snarled at the one who dared call the strange name. The name that I'd taken in order to forget the past that had now caught up to me.

I looked back at my murderers. The man in the middle eyed at me widely in shock... and fear - I realized he must remember me as one of his victims. The one they made a mistake with by not finishing off, and had now become a strong vampire. He must realize just how _powerful_ I was. And he knew that I could crush him and all of his colleagues into a pile of rubble before setting them on fire - which I will do and _so_ much more.

He turned to one of his followers. "Send the wolves after him," he said.

"No!" June shouted angrily and hissed.

The closest wolf leaped at us. June hissed and prepared to knock him away before something else came at it, and sent it directly into a wall. Edward was in front of us then. I realized now that it was him who knocked the wolf away. He didn't want our family and friends to fight each other. We had more prominent enemies in front of us right now. _Our_ family.

Yes.

I have a new family now. And even though vengeance was what I wanted, protecting them was also my obligation.

I held June's hand. She looked at me without the ferocious expression, instead she was gentle as ever.

Edward turned to me. "Use your power to stop them," he urged.

Trusting that Bella will be protecting them all, I imagined flames. The pain of being burned alive, the screeching torment that seeped through every cell in your tissues. Then I blew it out. The whole pack shrieked in high-pitched voices as they crumbled to the floor. When I looked back at my enemies, they were on the floor, too. But there was one missing.

"Where did he go?" I said through my grinding teeth.

"He took the tunnels under the basement," Alice said. Her eyes focused intently on the lead vampire's direction.

Without thinking much, I ran after him down the stairs into the basement leading right to a dark tunnel. The moment his scent seeped through my nose, I knew that he was my creator and _my_ murderer.

"Wait for me, Sam," June called from behind as she caught up to me. Her crimson eyes exhibited assurance. "Let's go after him together."

Touched by her willingness, despite all of my anger and urge to protect her, I held her hand. It did not take long before the others started caught up.


	47. Psyche

**CHAPTER 47 - PSYCHE**

**_Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful._**

* * *

><p><strong>Renesmee<strong>

The opposing vampires flipped to stand back on the floor the second Tommy left the room. They were quick to make a stand against our us. June made a 10 feet high leap over their barricade and then ran after Tommy down into the basement without looking back. The woman, Nora, immediately went after her.

"Jasper, Alice, Kate, Garrett, go with them, we'll take care of these guys," Dad said reassuringly.

Grandpa and Uncle Emmett made a quick jump at the remaining two and shoved them out of the way. Uncle Jasper, Uncle Garrett, Aunt Kate and Aunt Alice made it for the basement.

The pack was back on their feet, too. We were rigid, but when they looked up, there was no hostility in their eyes. More like confusion.

It made me want to laugh. Their plan to dominate the wolves and us backfired completely.

"Hello, Sam," Dad greeted with a smile. And then I realized that they were _themselves_ again. Free.

But not Jake. Not yet.

A gravitational force propelled from above like a string pulling me upward when I thought of him. I knew what it meant, and where the force was directing at. I didn't have time to move, though. Arnold slid his way free of Grandpa's grip, then he flipped over his head and wrapped his arm around Grandpa's throat, but then one of the closest wolves tackled him away. The brawny vampire shoved free of Uncle Emmett's grip and flipped a kick that sent him directly into a wall. The sides cracked and pieces fell from above. Then Arnold shouted, "Come out now!"

Dad looked up before the rest of us heard a whoosh that left dust fluttering from uptstairs. In one quarter of a second, twelve figures emerged from the top staircase and leaped down to the middle of the grand hall. Dad immediately darted to my and Mom's side and shielded us from the newcomers, snarling uncontrollably. Uncle Eleazar, and Uncle Fred also moved back to Aunt Carmen, and Aunt Tanya at once. Uncle Jasper gave Aunt Alice a worried look, but stayed in position. Grandma darted to Grandpa to help him stand back up, and looked warily at her enemies from both sides.

The newcomers bared their razor sharp teeth at us as they backed away to Arnold and the brawny vampire. Five of them glittered bright crimson in their eyes - the eye color of newborns. We, the Denalis and the wolves, snarled back at them. Uncle Emmett and Paul exceptionally loud.

"Nessie, go find Jacob," Dad said.

I stared at him. _What?_

"Go find Jacob," he repeated. "This is what you came here for. Eleazar, Carmen, please go with her," he commanded. "We'll take care of them."

"Works for me," Uncle Emmett agreed.

Mom looked at me over her shoulder and grinned. "Go," she said confidently.

Yielding to the pull, I took a high leap into the air and landed at the top of the staircase. Uncle Eleazar and Aunt Carmen landed beside me. The pull worked like a string that propelled me upward, so I followed it throughout the house, following it through the staircases. Before long, we were at the attic doorway. Jake's scent, and the scent of three vampires lingered in the air. He was right upstairs, I knew it. Gravitational force aside, I knew that's where he was trapped in.

And I will get him back.

I will not stand back and let anyone keep us apart. Not again.

Determination mixed with my anger and became my motivation. With a strong pressure from my hand, I pushed the attic door off its hinges to reveal a round staircase leading up to the attic. A new breeze blew in our direction. I could smell the stronger fragrance of Jake and vampires. Sounds of small raindrops echoed lightly through the walls, ceiling and windows above like a web dropping down on us.

"Be careful, Nessie," Aunt Carmen warned. "This might be a trap."

"I know," I answered, "but I won't back out. Not now. I'm gonna get him back."

Uncle Eleazar examined my expression and nodded. Aunt Carmen agreed, too.

"I'll go first," Uncle Eleazar said and took a cautious step inside the door. I followed him in. Aunt Carmen lingered closely behind me.

We reached the huge attic in seconds. The dusty room was almost half as wide as the lobby. We looked into the darkest corner the same time a sound of aggressive growling rippled through the depths, hidden in the shadows 7 feet away from us.

He was there. Every part of his shape, every part of his scent, every string of his fur. The necklace around his huge neck. Even the force that pulled me toward him. He was real.

Joy flooded through my entire body. Every tissue in my body propelled to run toward him and hold him in my arms. It filled my lungs and crawled up my throat so strongly that I could scream out how happy I was, but a low whisper of the word "Jacob" was all that escaped.

I knew why. Despite all that happiness to see him in front of me again, wolf or human, my reason did not betray me. His expression did not reflect mine. His eyes were empty, his expression angry and _hostile_. His lips pulled back to reveal his sharp fangs as he bared them at us. He was still under control. The others were freed when Tommy inflicted everyone with his power of illusional pain, but _he_ wasn't.

The realization froze me in an instant.

"Hello, Renesmee," a girl's voice caught our attention. We looked a little to the left side. Three vampires stepped out of the darkness. I was shocked to see the one in the middle.

"Jessica..." I breathed.

Her eyes glittered in bright crimson, even in the dark. The color of a newborn. The same color that my mother used to have when she was a newborn vampire. Her skin was pale as snow. The girl who we assumed was dead stood right in front of me.

Uncle Eleazar's eyes widened. His face turned rigid and distressed. Whatever he was reading from them was probably not good. He could see which one of the three vampires was controlling Jacob. I wanted to ask him, but they could hear even the lowest whisper.

The male vampire to Jessica's left sniffed, and then grinned. "Ah, so this is the famous hybrid girl," he said delightfully.

Aunt Carmen and Uncle Eleazar hissed violently at his comment.

I didn't pay attention to him. There were other questions that rolled in now.

"What are you doing, Jessica?" I demanded with a rough voice. "Why are you siding with them?"

She rolled her eyes. I saw Jacob's eyes rolled at the same time as hers from the corner of my eye, and then I realized who was controlling him. My chest flamed again like it did in the main hall. My former curiosity of her involvement vanished before she knew it.

"Oh, what? Like you're not one of us, too?" she replied and then shrugged. "Huh, well, I guess not completely. You're just half of it." Jacob lifted his shoulders, then dropped - a shrug, too.

I snarled to the pit of my voice at her mockery. The other two vampires around her crouched, and readied to defend her from me. Obviously they weren't going to let any of us get anywhere near her. Then, she was definitely the one controlling the wolf - _my_ wolf. She did not seem startled by my angry face. In fact, she pealed back her lips to show her smug smile.

Every tissue in my muscles burned. The fury rippled through my chest and then up to my throat. A snarl escaped again. I wanted to tear her apart so much that it was impossible to keep my feet where they were. I didn't want to, either.

I would have launched at her... if Jacob hadn't suddenly jumped into my vision and blocked my path. They - Jessica and Jake - snarled back at the same time. Not with anger, but an automatic response to self-preservation.

"Let's get it over with, will ya?" the vampire to her right spit through his teeth impatiently, like we'd offended him without knowing it. "I wanna pay them back with the pain that they did to me. If that boy hadn't shown up and set that fire illusion on the wolves, I wouldn't have had to let them go. I pick that guy." He pointed at Uncle Eleazar as he spoke. Aunt Carmen hissed.

The other vampire moaned. "Let's just get on with it."

This was it, then. They were gonna kill us. I crouched - my glance focused on Jessica. Anger mixed with my determination again. If someone were to be my target, it would be her. I will do whatever it took to save Jacob, even if it meant getting my arm ripped off or my body flamed. I was ready for it from the moment I stepped through the door. I wasn't planning on failing, though.

Her smile continued. Aunt Carmen and Uncle Eleazar crouched in unison, and so did Jacob. His angry eyes focused on me.

On me.

Oh, no! No, not that! I don't want to fight him.

The anger that boiled in my strength dimmed down a level.

"Jacob, it's me!" I called out to him, desperately trying to bring him out of Jessica's control. His position remained the same. His ears flexed.

And then they launched at us.

**Bella**

Renesmee's screams sounded loudly from above, along with the crashing. I wanted to rush to my little girl so badly. To help her. But I had to stay where I was to protect everyone else. It was frustrating to have to stay so far away from my daughter for everyone else. I wished they'll take out Arnold soon; he was the only one with a paralyzing gift. Even though they could probably take him out without me, I wanted to make sure that Edward was safe, and then my daughter, too.

Right now, I wanted _so_ badly to be in two places at once. But we could only wait till our enemies were all but eradicated before I could split from the others to run upstairs.

I kept watch on everyone around me with my eyes and the sensation of my shield. Emmett and Walker, the two biggest vampires, endlessly swiped at each other with their straightforward moves. But their equal strengths had kept one from thwarting the other. Rosalie and Esme were preoccupied with helping Tanya fend off two aggressive newborns. Sam's free pack fought off the rest of the rest of the vampires, while Brady and Kyle blocked the pathway into the underground tunnels.

My main focus was on Edward, who was helping Carlisle with Arnold. I could still feel the others around me, though.

Fred kept me out of harm's way with his power of repulsion, which was intense enough to keep pursuers away. And as long as he was shielding me, I could shield everyone from Arnold's power or the mind controller from invading their minds. But I was anxious and frustrated the whole time for having to stand still to be able to help.

One of the vampires made a leap at Edward from behind. I was about to jump out of Fred's protection to help him, but he quickly leaped into midair, and it flew straight into Arnold and into a wall. Two other vampires flipped out of Sam's approach and made a leap on Carlisle. I was rigid in terror. Then two of the wolves - Paul and Collin - leaped up and knocked them off course. Thankfully.

Impatient as I was, I knew we had to keep up the work down here. Until we've eradicated them all, I will stay in place and hope that my daughter could manage on her own. Trust that she was tough.

**Renesmee**

I flipped myself over Jacob's broad shoulders before his fangs caught me, and grabbed the broken chandelier on the ceiling. He turned around and stared at me with those soulless eyes. His expression was blank. Emotionless. I felt a sharp stab in my heart. Seeing his blank face twisted my grain. The face of a puppet. But he wasn't gone. Just hidden in his mind. My gravitational pull toward him was evident to that.

I could see the grand size of the attic now that I was on the ceiling. How Uncle Eleazar and Aunt Carmen worked together to fend off the two agressive vampires.

I looked at Jessica, the girl who had taken away Jacob's free will. Taken away the most precious person in my life. She met my gaze with an expression of confidence. Of power. Fury compelled me to flip my feet up to the ceiling. I complied and bounced in an instant, flying directly at her. My arms readied to crush her.

A crushing force suddenly charged at my body, and knocked me harshly into the ceiling. Through it. The wood and roof bricks exploded by my steel-made skin. Heavy raindrops fell down on me as my furry boyfriend and I flew across the air. His teeth never let go of my waist and stomach, ready to bite through the second we hit bottom. He wasn't going to hesitate to kill me.

My Jacob was going to kill me, and it wasn't of his own will.

My mind randomly thought back to the secret sea cave of sparkling rocks. The first time I realized that I loved him. The first time we kissed. The first time we connected. The universal connection that made me feel Jacob.

Jacob.

**Jacob**

_Jacob._ A voice called out to me and cut through the darkness.

I could hear it, but I couldn't see where it was coming from.

The voice. It was so familiar. Why did it sound so familiar? Who was that?

_Jacob._ Vivid images emerged when it called again. Image of a cave. A familiar cave. Before I could make out more, the thick darkness covered my senses and sent me down under again.

**Renesmee**

Bricks crushed and separated when we crashed on the other side of the roof. Jacob's sharp grip on my body loosened. The falling force bounced us away in opposite directions, and then I found myself sliding down the side.

I thrusted my clawed fingers into the bricks to keep myself from sliding further down, and flipped my body back up and landed my feet on the roofline. My entire body was soaked by the heavy rain.

Jacob struggled to climb his way back up on the roofline. I felt an impulse to help him back up. It was the gravitational power that compelled me toward him.

When he found balance again, his head lifted to gaze at me again. His eyes were as blank and cold as before. His mouth released an aggressive growl.

I hadn't been able to reach him with my voice. But that did not mean there was nothing else to try.

Yes, I will use it. It was my only hope.

Desperate and out of options, I darted directly at him. I didn't even hesitate when he opened his mouth to swallow me. Acting as quick as I could, I twisted my feet to a stop, and caught his nose and mouth with my hands, and pressed them together with all the strength exerted from my arms while pressing my legs to keep them on the roofline.

His entire body struggled to break free of my hold. His paws thudded on the bricks so hard that wherever they hit left a strong shake. His head twisted relentlessly, but I did not let his mouth slip through my hands. His back legs pressed themselves forward so that they could break my hold on his mouth. I could feel the strength exerted from his entire body, how much stronger it was than mine. I had to act quickly. If we continued like this, it will be only a matter of seconds before he broke my hold.

_Jake, it's me,_ I concentrated. _It's Nessie._

**Jacob**

_Jacob... it's me..._ That voice again.

It came through the darkness. I could hear it. So clear, so beautiful, so strong. But underneath that, there was also a feeling of sadness.

_It's Nessie,_ the voice spoke again. Clearer this time.

Nessie? Nessie...

It was her voice sent a shock through me.

Renesmee.

**Renesmee**

His head hesitated. The hesitation spread to the rest of his body as his paws slowed and his body relaxed. His eyes focused on my face. I knew it was working then.

He was remembering.

I pushed away the joy that was beginning to fill my core and continued my focus. I hadn't gotten through to him yet.

_Jacob, I know you can hear me,_ I continued desperately._ Please, come back to me. Please..._

I thought back to every memory we'd made as I transmitted them into his mind. I could see them in my mind's eye as I thought of them.

Some of the memories were from my early years: the first time we met - even though I was still a baby. The look that he gave me when I looked into his eyes (I understood now that it was his imprinting on me)... the first time he smiled when I said his name... my fondness of the bracelet he gave me on my first Christmas... all the fun times we had together.

And the most memorable year since I turned seven: The first time I showed him the secret cave of glittering stones... the first time I realized how much I loved him... the first time we kissed... our first date in Portland, my excitement on that day... last year's most meaningful Christmas and New Year's Eve... our first Valentine's Day at school.

The gravitational force was even stronger then. Unbearable now. I gave in to my desire and aggressively pressed my lips against his, and wrapped my hands around his face, showing my own feelings at the same time.

_I love you, Jacob. Please, come back to me._

**Jacob**

Vivid images flashed through my mind. I saw my own face through her eyes and reminded me of how I felt when I was living them: how it felt when I looked into the eyes of the most beautiful creature in the whole world. The way the whole center around me shifted to her alone... the happy times we had together throughout her entire childhood... the first time I realized just how much she cared about me, the way I felt then... what we both were feeling when we had our first kiss. The happiest time being when I took her out on our first date; how sensational it felt to be with her... our most meaningful Christmas and New Year's Eve... our first Valentine's Day that turned the school dance into royal ball where I became a true Prince and she was my Princess.

The thick darkness warred against the images, working to block them away from my sight again. To seal me back in. But I didn't want to give in. Not anymore. Not when I had so much with _her_. The very reason of my existence.

Suddenly, billions of steel cables wrapped around me and pulled me further from the cloudy darkness to the very perfection of the universe.

**Renesmee and Jacob**

The immense strength of our forever-linked bond brought us together again. Boundaries, restraining force, blockages, all cleared away when our bodies and minds collided with each other like comets. The heat of light emanated from our bodies as we touched, like the union of two magnets. The universal energy of it freed us from restriction.

Nothing could ever keep us separated. Even apart, we could feel each other. Even if there was a thick wall between us, we will surely still feel the power that drove us together.

The power of our bond.

The power of our love.

**Renesmee**

When I pulled away and opened my eyes again, he was there. Human.

"Jacob..." I whispered.

His eyelids lifted to reveal his human brown eyes.


	48. We Protect Each Other

**CHAPTER 48 - WE PROTECT EACH OTHER**

**_Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful._**

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><p><strong>Jacob<strong>

She was here. She really was.

"Jacob..." she whispered and curled her lips up behind her teeth. My mind ran through a flood of fuzzy memories that eased my confusion. The last thing I remembered was feeling weak. My entire body fell to the ground and the newborn Jessica moved toward me. I remembered how I fought against the overpowering paralysis that weighted me down to stand back on my feet. But I wasn't fast enough to break free. Before I knew it, Jessica had her eyes in my face, then my senses slipped away. My body, my mind, my _self_, all disappeared when she trapped me in a net of unconsciousness.

I was lost.

But not right now. Not anymore.

An even stronger power broke through to me. Much stronger than my own. I was looking at _her_ right now. The goddess of my existence, Renesmee. Those most soulful eyes that freed me from my mental prison. Better, the gravitational power that drew me toward her flared with satisfaction: because her hands were touching the edges of my face. She saved me.

"Nessie..." a whisper escaped my stuttering voice. She smiled hugely before wrapping her arms around my shoulders and held me tight.

"You're back," she sobbed.

"I'm back." I wasn't sure if I was agreeing with her or talking to myself. But I was myself again.

And she was the first person who stood in front of me when I did. _She._

Amazed and touched at the same time, I ran my bare arms around her back and kept them there.

Everything told me this was real. She was real; The heat of her touch, the sight of her face, the sound of her voice, even the smell of her intense scent, was real. Intense, because the heavy rain had made her scent more potent. It delighted me altogether.

"I'm back," I whispered in her ear again, and added. "Thank you."

She held me even tighter.

Then, something else leaped in from behind me. My instincts warned me of the hostility emitting from this new entity.

We both pulled away on time to see it land 10 feet away from us. Or rather _her_. "Jessica" glared at us in incredulous fury. Her ferocious crimson eyes promised revenge, and her open teeth showed bloodlust and violence.

Nessie loosened her grip on me and sprinted around to stand in front of her. Jessica let out a deadly growl, and we both responded. Jessica's angry eyes focused intently on Nessie. Acting out of instinct again, I moved to stand in between them - it went against the grain to see the girl of my existence face any sort of danger.

I had my arms around Nessie's shoulders to make sure she wouldn't try to stand in front of the freaking newborn vampire again.

Jessica snarled, specifically at Nessie. It angered me to the core.

"I'm gonna kill you, bitch!" she spit through her fangs, fueling my already uncontrollable anger.

The wolf inside broke through my skin - I removed my hands from Nessie's shoulders - and I was back on all fours. Wherever my claws hit made huge cracks.

A loud growl rippled through my chest while the anger burned inside my core.

Nessie touched my tail.

_We'll take her out together, Jacob,_ she thought to me.

She wanted to help me fight the dangerous newborn? No, no way! I will not let her!

I looked back at her with the side of my eye and barked to argue against her. It was hard enough to see her face danger before. Now she was going to run straight into it?

I'd rather have my heart ripped out than let her sacrifice herself for me. Her calm face shifted to anger while eyeing me. _Don't argue with me. I know you don't want me to be in danger, but you _need_ to know that it kills me too. Seeing you in danger just to protect _me_._ My mind flushed with an image of her watching me get taken away when I sacrificed my freedom for her. _I'm done being protected. I _want_ to protect you, too. And I'm not going to let you argue with me for it!_

There was no hesitation in her thoughts. Only determination. Bad.

Before I could argue further, Jessica interrupted and shouted "Die!" before making a leap toward us. Acting as quickly as I could, I made a short leap at her, lowered my shoulders and lifted my head to throw her off her feet before her arms could crush me.

As she fell down the roof, I leaped after her.

If I could kill her fast enough, then Nessie won't have to help out. I _will_ crush her. I have to.

Jessica gave me a violent look, despite she was falling. Then she moved her hips, and landed safely with her feet on the ground.

My paws hit the ground with a loud thud. My fur felt slightly heavier by the rain that soaked every part of it.

When she growled, I snarled back with the same level of anger. Our mutual hatred for one another flared like cold and hot air chasing around each other. Soon, we'd make a tornado out of it.

The bloodlust in her eyes was evident. I was certainly having the same bloodlust boiling in my veins, but I knew what she was capable of: getting close to her glance will only allow her to drive me back into that same dark place.

Nessie landed swiftly beside me. With the corner of my eye, I identified the newfound bloodlust in her gaze. She crouched and snarled to the top of her lungs at Jessica. The newborn bared her deadly teeth with a growl at her. I immediately moved to stand in between her and my love.

I will not let the newborn get anywhere near her!

Overpowering anger took control of my paws and pulled me forward. Jessica crouched as she waited for me to run straight into her dangerous grasp. Moving quick but carefully, I stopped abruptly about 4 feet away from her, pressed my paws against the ground and leaped. Her fangs missed my tail just slightly.

Her face focused deeply on me when I turned around. Completely ferocious and hungry for blood. The same kind of newborn me and my pack fought 8 years ago, although they had more numbers. Now she was alone. But so was I.

Nessie could not be part of this.

Jessica sprinted toward me. My gravitation to Nessie increased in a moment. A blur suddenly came from the right and knocked the vampire flying into a wall. Through it.

I knew the blurry figure was Nessie, because of the familiar magnetic power. She turned to look at me with an expression of relief.

I wished I could be relieved, but it was impossible. Not by the way she jumped into danger like that to protect me. It was my job to protect her. Not the other way around.

She read the expression on my face and changed hers from relief to anger, then darted to my side to touch my nose.

_Jacob, I'd rather help you out than watch you die,_ she thought while eyeing at me._ I watched you get torn away from me, because I couldn't protect you. Now I want that... more than anything. I want to protect everything that I love. I know you want that, too. Otherwise you wouldn't be fighting so hard for me._

_But you need to know, if I just stay here doing nothing, then I'm just gonna lose you again. _You're_ lose me again. Do you really want that?_ The image of the day I surrendered to leave with the vampires flooded my mind again, but this time came with a deep and sharp pain that cut through my heart. It cut through her heart. She was deeply hurt because of me, because I sacrificed my life for hers. I hurt her by giving up? _If you want to keep me safe, you better work with me,_ she continued._ You need to learn to trust that you don't always have the power to protect me and that I can help you. If you die fighting alone, you're just gonna kill me, because there was nothing more painful than watching you get torn away. You're one of the most important people to me, and I don't wanna lose you or anyone else!_ She had me when she put it that way. _I love you, Jacob, and I want to protect you. So let's protect _each other_._

She sure had her way to get to me. I could no longer deny her wishes. Not when I realized how much pain she'd been through to watch me jump into flames to protect her. Edward and Bella'll kill me after this, but how could I deny her now?

My instincts stirred a powerful warning inside me before I could state my agreement. Something fast and sharp charged directly at us. Nessie's instincts must have warned her too, because we both made a quick leap in opposite directions. The sharp blur sent a breeze across my soaking fur as it passed.

I turned around to face Jessica, who bared her deadly teeth at us. My own growling rumbled at the sound of her voice. Nessie sprinted to my side again and placed her hand on my shoulder, showing us side by side: a team.

No longer able to deny her wishes, I looked at her from the corner of my eye and nodded. She grinned very lightly. Then we both focused on the vampire, rumbling with our voices and charged at Jessica together.

**Bella**

I kept my shield around my family, including Fred who was protecting me with his. Carlisle, Esme, Jared and Sam had gone to help Eleazar and Carmen. Apparently, they would not last long without some aid. At least Edward had made it clear that Renesmee was strong enough to take care of herself, and that Jacob had come back to our side. The relief of the good news struck me so strongly that my shield wavered for a second, but it was back on before Arnold could have a chance to paralyze Edward. I was utterly frustrated when two other vampires came to his defense. He was the only reason that kept me in the room, because I had to protect Edward from his power.

The only other thing that worried me now was that my daughter and my best friend were facing a newborn vampire who could take over their minds if she got close enough. I wanted to be there to keep their minds secure from her. But the opposing vampires in the room were fighting strongly; apparently some were newborns. Too strong for their physical builds, their expressions were too volatile and ferocious. We'd need to eradicate them before I could go and help them.

Edward and Collin backed each other up against Arnold and the two newborns. Rosalie and Tanya worked together to fight off their enemies. And the wolves cornered the rest of the collective. Emmett continued to wrestle with Walker, both sparring each other's frontal attacks with their arms around each other's shoulders.

I flinched when one of the newborns leaped toward Edward. Unable to hold my stand and watch my husband get hurt anymore, I leaped under Fred's arm and darted forward. My shield retracted from everyone else, but I kept it around Collin and Edward. Arnold was the only one with a gift, so that should mean I didn't need to shield everyone at the same time. Just those close to Arnold.

One of the newborns spotted me and sprinted forward, his arms opened for me. I immediately jumped over his head, moving my hips to face him at the same time and then sent a strong kick across his head. The hinges of his neck left splinters. One of the wolves, Ian, jumped forth to finish the rest of him for me. I owed him one for taking over the job, but I will have to repay him later.

I turned back to Edward, Collin and Arnold. The vampire shifted his glare to me and bared his teeth. I reciprocated with a deep and loud growl.

When he sprang forward, I crouched and opened my arms. But Edward came in a blur and knocked him away before my hands could touch him. My shield retracted to protecting him as they struggled for the upper hand. Arnold pressed his hands on Edward's arms, his face rigid. His bodyguard was too busy dealing with Collin to come to his rescue. Seeing my opportunity, I jumped high into midair above them. Arnold's eyes focused on me as my body dropped down on him and Edward. I twisted my foot to pin my heel on him.

Edward looked up, saw me coming and immediately moved his shoulders. For a fraction of a second, I was worried that my attack would hit him, but my leg easily brushed past his shoulder and crashed directly into Arnold's head. It sounded like a rock exploding by the force of grenades as I smashed it to a million pieces. I moved away to let Edward finish the job. He pressed Arnold's remaining body on the floor and sank his teeth into his arm and bit it off, then moved on his other arm.

I could not help but find myself infatuated by the way he did it. For a moment, I completely forgot about...

_Oh, no!_

"Renesmee! Jacob!" I muttered as the names popped into my head.

Edward looked over his shoulder. "Go, we'll be fine now."

After a quick nod, I broke into a run into the rainy front yard. I didn't even bother to open the doors.

Edward was fine on his own now, he didn't need me, but our daughter did.

**Renesmee**

Jessica readied to wrap her superior arms around me. To crush me. I ducked to avoid her grasp and flipped from under her. The breeze of Jacob's humongous weight brushed across me as he crashed into her.

I turned around to see him was pressing himself over her, but his mouth was restrained by Jessica's hands that held each side of his head. Her strength was so far greater than his that it was impossible for him to break free, and she was barely exerting it. A surge of power and bloodlust - a different kind of bloodlust - rose inside me and drove my body forward. I only had a fraction of a second to think of what I needed to do.

She was about to crush Jacob's skull when I reached out with my teeth, flipped my body agilely over their heads and bent my head to bite off one of Jessica's hands. She shrieked at the top of her lungs as I severed her hand from her arm. I could feel the vibe of disembodiment knocking from my mouth to the rest of my head as I flipped my shoulders over Jacob. By the time my feet landed on the other side, her severed hand was in my mouth. I immediately spit it to the ground.

Jessica was down to one hand, which made her less threatening. This was Jake's chance to take her out. And he knew it. He pushed himself forward, his paws all pressed his body to finish off the newborn. But her other hand was still pulling one side of his head. He struggled to break free without much success. I was about to break her other hand. But then she moved - acted so fast that I'd had no time to react - and bit into Jacob's neck. Jacob shrieked at the pain inserted into his soaking furry neck by her sharp bite. His face scrunched at the pain. I was paralyzed by shock.

When he was finally in too much pain to continue fighting, his paws staggered; and she released from his neck and hit his shoulder with an open palm - SMACK, I could hear the sound echo from his shoulder - and the impact sent him flying several feet away. His body banged and bounced on the ground twice before he finally fell steadily.

I gasped in shock. My mouth fell open. My mind was a blur and my body stood rigid.

Jacob's body laid still on the ground, but his mouth panted heavily for air. Realization came to me like an electric shock - he had been bitten and poisoned by a vampire. Blood dripped slowly down his fur and soaked into the mud as the rain spread it wide.

My attention shifted when the corner of my eye saw Jessica flip herself back on her feet. Her focus was essentially on me now. Her teeth bared at me while she growled with a scrunched face and fisted her only hand. The wrist of her broken hand bended, like it was crouching with the rest of her body. Her eyes flared with blazing red color of both vampire and bloodlust. She was determined to kill me.

A powerful surge of strength ignited by anger and pain exploded within me, more powerfully than before. It flooded to my entire body and forced me from my petrified state. I curled up my lips to show my teeth and crouched in position. Now all my attention was on her. Her death. Her punishment.

This bitch will not get away with this. She'd hurt one of the people that I loved above all else; and now she will pay for it. The sharp-stabbing pain of that scene sent a tank of fuel to the overwhelming anger that made my tongue taste iron. My muscles flexed in response to my desire for revenge that set off my more feral side.

"Renesmee!"

The sound of another familiar voice pierced into my ears, and pulled me from my attention on the newborn. From the corner of my eye, I realized it was my Mom. She stopped a few feet away, her focus on me and then on Jessica. She crouched and fisted her hands.

"NO!" I yelled through my rough voice. "She's _mine_!"

She looked at me restlessly for a short second and then relaxed. It did not take long for her to see Jacob across the yard.

"Take care of Jacob," I asked her.

I looked at Jessica for a short moment before charging at her. She sprinted at me as well. Faster than my speed could ever exert, but not fast enough. Her arms opened to crush me. I stopped running abruptly and bounced five feet backward before she could touch me. She snarled in frustration and sprinted at me again. I moved my foot behind me and bounced forward.

She reached for me. I moved my arms and legs to escape her grasp. As soon as I landed, I turned around reflexively and thrusted my arm, sending all of my strength into it to sever her head. She caught it with her hand as though she was catching baseball and held my arm completely still. I could feel her incredulous strength overpower mine to crush into my arm. I could feel my flesh tighten at her touch and my bones ready to crack. I winced in pain.

I didn't writhe, though, because I wasn't giving up. I wasn't gonna die today. _She_ was!

Moving as fast as I could, I threw myself forward, fighting against the pain on my arm and sank my teeth directly in her neck. Her skin was hard, harder than mine, but no harder than the rest of my family's. My teeth were strong enough to bite through it. It was slightly joyful to hear her scream at the top of her lungs at the pain I was inflicting on her with, but I was too angry to enjoy it. Part of her neck cracked and left a hole that I made, and then sent my fisted hand into it with all of my strength. The rest of her neck crushed into splinters and her head fell to the ground. And then I moved on to severing her arm that was trying to crush mine. From elbow to wrist and then fingers, I bit them all apart until my arm was finally free. I could almost feel my teeth crack on her granite-hard skin as I chewed it apart.

"Renesmee!" Dad called out to me from a distance, his voice sounded rough and distressed.

I looked over my shoulder and saw him coming my way while five of the wolves went to check on Jacob.

He rested a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "That's enough, Sweetheart," he said and nodded to Jacob, who was hidden behind his fellow wolves. An agonized screech broke through the crowd.

Mom wore a distressed expression on her face.

"He's been bitten," she said while examining Jacob's neck. "He's bleeding."

I realized instantly who she was referring to. The realization turned off my anger like a dimmer light switch and slowly replaced with agony.

Dad read my thoughts. "Go, the wolves'll take care of her," he said.

I dropped the animated bodyparts and ran toward Mom and Jacob. The other wolves ran past me in the opposite direction. I didn't realize that Dad was behind me until we reached Jacob and Mom and he bent down to examine him.

Jacob barked relentlessly in pain, but he laid on the ground. Mom gave an agonized look.

"He's been poisoned," he acknowledged and pressed his hand on Jacob's shoulder. He winced. "Bones on his shoulder and chest are shattered, but he isn't healing."

I gasped unsuccessfully for air. My core trembled like it had been crushed while the rest of my body felt numb.

_Jacob_ was bitten by Jessica. And now, the venom had been inserted into his body, spreading across his tissues. The fact that his wound did not heal was proof of what it was doing to him. Vampire venom was painful and transformative to humans, but to animals or shape-shifters, it was fatally poisonous. Soon, he'll be... I will...

"No, Nessie, don't think like that," Dad interrupted my thoughts with an urgent voice, trying to maintain my calm. "You've come too far."

Mom shot a genuine look at me, and nodded in agreement with Dad. "Don't give up, Sweetie."

Their encouragement enlightened me a little bit. My numb body felt a slightest bit of heat. I quickly inhaled to gather my thoughts, and then knelt beside him and pressed my hand on his face.

_Jacob,_ I thought. _It's me. I'm here. You're gonna be okay._

Two other wolves came to our side. I didn't turn to find out who it was.

"There's a flame-thrower in our cars across the mountain," Dad said without looking away. "You can track our fresh trail to them. Use them to burn the pieces."

One of them nodded and then ran away with the other wolf.

Mom and I looked on anxiously and Jacob panted for air.

Dad shook his head. "We have to do something fast, the venom is spreading to his wound. If this goes on, his injuries can't be healed and then he will die. We don't have time to wait for Carlisle or to get him medical treatment."

His words repeated in my head. My thoughts began to scatter like leaking water, but one thing was for certain. Jacob will die... unless we did something about it.

But what? What would help? There was no medical method that would treat the venom. No vaccine against the process. Nothing would reverse the process. It was inserted into his blood, and the more it pumped, the more it spread.

"Wait, Nessie," Dad said urgently, his voice sounded brighter as if an idea had occured to him. He looked at Mom. "There is a way." He turned to me. "You need to try and suck the venom out."

What?

"You have to suck the infected blood out of his system," he explained.

Me? I'm gonna drink Jacob's blood? To taste his blood? The idea revolted me. I wasn't sure if I'll be able to control myself if I did. I hadn't drunken human blood since ever, and now I will drink Jacob's blood. What if I wasn't strong enough to resist the urge to quench my thirst?

"Will it be dangerous?" Mom asked with a distressed voice. "Will the venom be dangerous for her? I mean, she is half-human."

Dad considered that and shook his head. "Not if she doesn't swallow it. But we have to act quick, otherwise it'll be too late."

The other wolves roared in distress, but I didn't pay attention to them. Jacob was still panting in pain, his rigid body shaking uncontrollably. He barked once at Dad, but I didn't know what that meant. It took one second for me to make up my mind.

No. I won't let him die. Dad was right; I'd come too far to give up now. I can't give up. And I _will_ control my thirst. I have to. I made my decision so quickly that a second barely passed.

"Be careful, Nessie," he said. "If you swallow the venom, we won't know what it'll do to you."

I nodded again and crawled over Jacob's huge body, Mom backed away to give me more space. I found the wound on his neck and sank my teeth into it. His blood was tainted with venom, but it was still fresh and warm and sweet. Sweeter than anything I'd tasted in a very long time. Part human and part animal. My entire body reacted to the taste. It was so overwhelmingly good that my throat suddenly burned with desire. I wanted to suck it all into my body. The vampire inside me came up to the surface and fought with my human side for domination.

But I wasn't going to do it. This was my boyfriend. My only boyfriend. Fighting the instinct to swallow the warm, sensual blood that promised to quench my now flaming throat, I collected it with my mouth until it was a mouthful and spit it on the ground. Then again and again. Every taste equally intense.

Jacob had stopped shaking and writhing by the time Dad said, "Good, his blood is clean. You have to stop, Nessie."

All instincts from my vampire side were forcing me to continue draining him. To obtain the blood that tasted so overwhelmingly sweet and absorb it into my body. The only thing that fought to make me stop was the reminder that he was the one I loved. I couldn't imagine loving anyone else. If he died, then I will die too.

If I killed him, I'll kill myself too.

My mind raced through all the times we had shared together. My love for the wolf below me pushed my urges away. Contained it. I finally released my grip, walked a few paces from my family and turned my head up to let the raindrops pour into my mouth and washed away the clean blood that lingered in my mouth. I allowed the water to soak into my pores. The freezy breeze blew into my nose from the south, further calming the instincts that compelled me to kill. The vampire in me obeyed, too.

When I was sure I was completely calm again, I looked back to my family. Jacob's heart was beating and his respiratory was ordinary again, but his eyes were closed. My parents gave me a proud look.

But I wasn't all too proud myself.


	49. Loss and Revenge

**CHAPTER 49 - LOSS AND REVENGE**

**_Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful._**

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><p><strong>Thomas<strong>

We chased Nicholas from the underground tunnels to the south. Alice and Jasper followed us while Kate and Garrett stayed behind to deal with Nicholas's mate.

"He's going for the border river to lose us!" Alice acknowledged while tracking his decisions. "I can't see where he's going. If he goes in the river, he's gone."

_What? He'll escape?_ I thought.

I gritted my teeth in anger. There was no way that I will let him escape. He was the murderer of my family, my creator. He'd taken everything away from me, and I wanted nothing more than to make him pay. The river was visible by now - only half a mile away. He'll reach it in no time.

_No!_ I ran even faster.

June dropped my hand and ran ahead of us - she was too fast to catch up to. I was shocked to see her reach out to Nicholas. Worry came to the surface and warred with my anger. They fought so strongly that I couldn't think of a new way to act instead of just running. She caught his shoulder and immediately pulled him backward before flinging him through the air in our direction with a simple arm thrust.

I stopped abruptly and caught him with my arms, and then flung him to neutralize him in a headlock.

"BASTARD!" I screamed out.

My mind initiated the fiery memory that seeped through my veins. The perfection of that memory channeled into my power, and then Nicholas dropped to the ground writhing in pain and crunching his body on the ground.

It was delightful to watch him taste the intense strength of my superior power. I _wanted_ to make him suffer, to make him go through the pain that I felt when I became a vampire. When and his cult destroyed my family.

Fuzzy human memories of my family's death came rushing to the surface; the horror we felt when they tore us out of the car; the pain of flaming death that we experienced before we died and completely powerless to defend ourselves. The strength that they had to kill us and make the world seem darker and more horrifying than anything we'd ever known. That was the power that they used to kill us. Worse, I was condemned to live for eternity as the same kind of monster that killed them.

But I was also given the same power, and much, much more. My transformation did not only initiate the capabilities that were beyond my human efforts, but also intensified my imaginative mind. Now, I was more powerful than him - too powerful for him to overcome. I could crush him into a pile of rubble inch by inch, and I won't even hesitate to make him scream. Why should I show mercy to him when all he'd done was destroy _everything_ that was precious to me?

I put all of my focus into tormenting him.

"You shouldn't use your power like that, Thomas," Alice warned.

I turned to her and said fiercely. "Who made you my mother?" She hissed.

My brief distraction turned off my power.

"Look out!" she yelled and yanked me away just as a bullet-speeding fist breezed past my shoulder, missing me and Alice only by an inch.

Jasper snarled in anger and tackled him across the muddy field.

I snarled and looked back at my creator. He turned around to flee. I immediately released an imagination of petrification; his whole body froze as though time had stopped for him. He looked at his body in shock and then turned his head around to face us.

"Why?" he asked in an angry snarl. "Why are you opposing me? With your help, we can accomplish so much. We won't have to follow the Volturi's outrageous orders anymore if you would just join me in my cause." He looked at me. "You. I created you. I made you who you are today. With your power, we won't have anything to fear. We'll be invincible." I snarled loudly when my unbearable fury burst like a balloon containing radiation, and directed all of that power into him, interrupting him. I imagined deeply on seeing him burn, his crystal skin melt, his stone-flesh turn to ash and his whole body catching fire. Nicholas writhed to the top of his lungs and crumpled to the ground, recoiling himself in an unsuccessful attempt to shield himself from my illusionary flames. I enjoyed deeply how he fell helplessly to the muddy ground while my power inflicted more pain than he could manage. On a human, it was intense enough to overload his brain until he died. My tongue tasted flaming silver.

"Nothing satisfies me more your death," I spit through my teeth and I sprang at him, grabbed one of his arms and tore it off with a strong kick into his torso, sending him flying across the empty field.

Still paralyzed by my power, he screamed and held the open hole below his shoulder that used to be attached to his arm. I darted to his side again, my imagination still in tact, and drove his lost arm through his chest. He screamed even more at the real pain.

Good. I wanted to make him suffer; I wanted to inflict on him the same pain that I felt when he took my life. The flaming illusion was to let him feel the torment of the transformation. Tearing off his arm and driving it through his heart was to inflict on him the pain of loss - a sharp stab straight into my heart. My family, my life, my love. My _self_.

I jumped to his other side and tore off his other arm and then moved on to his legs.

It was completely delightful to watch him suffer and to hear him scream. It proved what a mistake he had made when he did not finish me off when he had the chance. Instead, he cursed me with this new life, gave me the power to fight him back.

After I was done with his legs, I moved on to the final limb: his head. With overcharged strength surged into my fist, I punched through it, smashing his perfect face into a million fractions. Before I knew it, I was moving on to the rest of his body, tearing it apart limb by limb, piece by piece, enjoying the success of revenge every passing second.

"Light it, Jasper," Alice said.

Jasper's hand brushed across his shirt and fished into his pocket. I didn't know or care about what he was doing until a click sounded in my ears. I turned around to see the lighter in his fingers. A thought struck me like lightning and then Jasper slid his hand under mine when I grabbed it and then tossed it on the biggest piece of what used to be Nicholas's shoulder. The rain had begun to lighten up, so the fire barely dimmed by the watery drops. Piece by piece, I collected them to the fire that was beginning to brighten and consume the stone-hard flesh of my creator. I enjoyed every second as I tossed his pieces into the flames and watched his flesh flare like the anger that consumed my core.

Burning. Burning. Burning.

I finally got my revenge. After almost 4 years of wandering and resenting the one who created me and destroying what was precious to me, I got my revenge at last. It was impossible not to laugh at my success. My lips curled backward to show my smiling teeth. My anger dimmed slowly. Before long, I was no longer smiling and my heart suddenly felt empty.

Empty - because all of my resentment and hatred for Nicholas and his coven who murdered my family were gone. Of all the years I'd imagined of avenging my family, today my wish finally came true. But now, instead of being happy at my success and be at peace with myself, I just felt hollow inside. I had gotten what I wanted at last. My family was avenged. All of that hatred had been lingering inside me for almost as long as I became an immortal vampire.

Nicholas and his evil cult were finally dead. And Nicholas, my creator, died at my hands.

So why wasn't I happy about this? Wasn't this what I wanted? I just felt empty inside. Alone. Deeply under.

I dropped my knees on the ground by the strange mental exhaustion that weakened me to the core. It was as though I had used up all of my power and my body felt like it no longer had the strength to even stand, even though it was still physically energetic.

I breathed, and choked on the air in my throat. My eyes tingled in a very strange way. And all of a sudden, I was completely lonely. No one in family was alive anymore. I was the only left - and now I was completely meaningless.

I was barely aware when someone kneeling down beside me. A hand slid through my fingers, but I didn't pull away.

"Sam," June whispered my name and caught my attention.

Looking into her soulful crimson eyes sent a sensation into my hand that slowly spread to the rest of my body, and soothed my darkening sadness. She gave a tiny and understanding smile, like she knew how I was feeling. I squeezed her hand a little harder with mine. She nudged it. In that instant, I realized how lucky I was to have her by my side. In this new life, all I had was my new family - which I loved very much, but June was my one person I loved above all, human or vampire. Nothing will _ever_ replace that. The reason for my life to continue. And of equal importance - she loved me as much as I loved her. And now we were each other's. Forever.

Jasper rested his hand on my shoulder, but I didn't feel my emotions alter spontanenously. My comfort was purely June's work. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders gently and whispered, "Thank you" into her ear.

She touched the back of my hair with her cold fingers.

I hardly noticed the fire that flamed beside the left side of my body.


	50. Negotiations

**CHAPTER 50 - NEGOTIATIONS**

**_Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful._**

* * *

><p><strong>Edward<strong>

"He's gonna be fine, don't worry," I noted after examining Jacob's body and his unconscious mind. He was too weak to dream, but his voice was still present. I looked back to Bella and Renesmee, looking anxious. "You can relax."

Bella sighed in relief and nodded. Nessie brushed the back of her hand on Jacob's furry neck, which had almost completely healed by now. His broken shoulder seemed to have healed properly, but I'll need Carlisle to check on him to be sure. He had more experience in treating the shape-shifters and more practice in animal treatment than me. Nessie's arm had almost completely healed itself, but she hardly noticed. Her thoughts were too chagrined and focused on Jacob to notice anything else.

The bonfire flared strongly as it consumed the body of Jessica. The five wolves lingered around us in relief while the other four listened to our conversation. They were more occupied with burning the vampires' bodyparts than tearing them apart by now.

_Oh, thank God,_ Paul sighed mentally. _Rachel would be devastated if she'd lost him._

_Those leeches were worse than anything we've ever met, I'm glad they're dead,_ Kyle expressed his anger with his thoughts and head movement.

_No kidding,_ Jared agreed while tearing off Eleazar and Carmen's enemy with Sam up in the attic.

Nessie's thoughts were chagrined. She remembered how his blood triggered the drive in her that she had made much effort to suppress. And when she tasted his blood - closer to human than anything she'd tasted in a long time - every part of her just wanted to consume it. She was ashamed of what the monster in her was turning her into.

I patted her shoulder gently and said, "It's okay, Nessie. You have nothing to be ashamed about. You did an amazing job. Jacob is fine now."

_Yes, I know,_ she answered internally, though her thoughts were still chagrined.

Bella brushed Nessie's shoulder.

"Why don't you take him home," she said, "I'm sure we can handle the rest by now."

She shook her head violently. "I want to wait until everyone's ready." _I don't want anything to happen to anyone right now. I want to be sure that Tommy and the others are all right._

Her worry was evident externally and internally. I nodded and said, "Okay."

Bella pulled her into her arms. It hurt to see my daughter so sad, and... regretful for the monstrous side in her. For a split second, I considered letting Jasper lighten up her mood to make her feel better.

But my train of thought was interrupted by a wave of unexpected voices that invaded my head. I recognized some of the voices, even though it had been some time since I'd last heard of _them_. But at the same time, I also picked up some new minds that came with it. Two fresh and young minds.

Did Aro recruit two more members since our last confrontation? One of them, Gabriel, I picked up the name from Felix's mind, was calmly waiting for the opportunity to introduce himself to Renesmee. Not because he was interested in her, but because he was under orders by his _father_.

Aro?

When did Aro have a kid? In what way? Did Aro choose someone to change into his son? I couldn't understand what he meant. Not yet anyway. As much as I wanted answers to my questions badly, this was not the right time.

We have to reassemble.

Bella noticed my change of expression.

"What's wrong, Edward?" she asked with a hint of worry in her voice.

"The Volturi" was all the answer she needed.

Her face turned harsh and angry. "They're coming?"

I nodded. "We need to regroup."

_Oh, great, more vampire leeches,_ Paul complained. Sam and Jared listened intently to our conversation while carrying Eleazar and Carmen's enemies' limbs down to the main hall where the rest of the bodyparts were being burned.

I immediately pulled out my cellphone and said, "Call Alice!" She answered on the first ring. I explained as fast as I could. "Alice, the Volturi is coming right now. Where are you?"

_"We're on our way back to you guys,"_ she answered, her voice sounded confused. Her thoughts entered my territory when I focused on her. She had Jasper, June and Thomas with her. And I realized why she was confused. She didn't _see_ the Volturi coming. Her vision wasn't perfect, but seeing something coming in our direction wasn't hard to see, either. _"Why didn't I see them coming?"_

"We'll figure it out later," I said, "Right now, we have to get everyone together. Come as fast as you can."

_"Okay!"_

I hung up and turned my attention back to Kyle and Ian to talk to Sam through them. "Sam, it's best that we stay together right now. The Volturi is coming to stop Nicholas's army. -" That was only part-true. "- The last thing we want is for the Volturi to think there is some surprise attack preparated for them."

_Right,_ he agreed.

_Do we have to maintain peace with the vampires? We just got controlled by them,_ Jared complained.

_Yeah, and now we're facing the foundation of vampire culture,_ Kyle commented. _I think I'm gonna be sick._

I turned to Nessie and Bella. "I'm gonna go inside and explain everything to Carlisle and Tanya," I said. "You should get Jacob inside, we need everyone together when they come."

Bella nodded and then spoke to Renesmee. "Nessie, go with your dad. I'll carry him in."

She shook her head.

"No. I'll do it," she said in determination, and spread her arms around his shoulders. Bella didn't try to persuade her. The other wolves watched calmly: they knew she wouldn't hurt him no matter what.

I nodded, picked up the flame-thrower next to the bonfire, and sprang back into the house. There was no time to lose.

**Renesmee**

Mom, Ian, Kyle, Brandon, Paul and Brady waited till I had Jake on my shoulders before they went back into the house to join the others.

Everyone was already gathered when we entered the main hall. The room was in worse shape than when I left it. The center was consumed by a large bonfire that was beginning to spread. Emmett made a fast spin around it to force out the oxygen that was fueling it, putting it out. The walls had human-sized holes and cracks that made the ceiling look very unstable. It looked like it could fall down down on us at any moment.

I set Jacob down next to where the bonfire was, now an open and dusty scorch mark and knelt down beside him. Mom and Dad stood in the front line with Grandpa, Grandma, Tanya, Fred, and Sam. Everyone else made a wide formation behind them, shrouding my sight for some reason, including the wolves. Paul, Brady, Aunt Alice and Uncle Jasper were closest to me and Jake. Aunt Carmen and Uncle Eleazar stood in front of me, as if to build a wall between me and the Volturi.

I wasn't at my most comfortable, either. The last time we faced the Volturi, they tried to kill me and my family. And now, they were coming again.

I focused on Jacob on my lap and brushed his fur as he slept. Tommy winked at me when he walked past us with June. June eyed at me uneasily for a split second before turning away - not wildly thirsty of desire, just anxious.

Everyone stood in place, all frozen for a short moment. And then the air echoed to the movements so smooth and fast that it was almost impossible to hear. It did not take long before they finally came in through the broken doors. I looked under everyone's legs and recognized Jane's feet emerging from the main entrance. Four other figures appeared behind her. Demetri, Felix and two more I did not recognize. The moment they entered the room, growls erupted and echoed throughout the room. Among the wolves, I could also hear Aunt Tanya and Aunt Kate's. Their hatred for the Volturi of their sister's death hadn't faded after all these years.

"Welcome, Jane," Grandpa said calmly.

"Carlisle," Jane replied. She went quiet for a moment. "It seems you've done our job. Why, with you Cullens around, we seem pretty unnecessary."

"The coven that resided here was a little put out with our family and the shape-shifters," Dad explained.

"Hm," Jane murmured. There was a hint of angry sarcasm in her voice. "It seems your family and the wolves have become quite famous since that eventful day."

I didn't need to ask what day she was referring to. _That _day was impossible to forget, even if I wanted to. It was the day they mistook me for an immortal child and condemned my family for my very own existence. Our friends stood by our side and offered to defend us. Even though the misunderstanding was cleared up, Aunt Tanya and Aunt Kate lost a sister, a price she had to pay for falsely accusing my family.

"The attention was never of our intention, Jane," Grandpa cleared. "This was merely a family matter."

"That is not in our interest," Jane said coldly, and then asked. "Did you take care of every last one of them?"

He nodded. "There were 20 of them. My sons and my daughters disposed of the leader themselves."

"Hm. What was the name of the criminal?"

Dad stepped forward.

"Nicholas," he answered directly. "He had one member with a very unique gift that he found useful, and kidnapped the wolves."

"Oh. I was led to believe that you have brought the pets along to dispose of our kind once more."

I snarled angrily at her comment. _Pet_ was not the expression she should use on the wolves. Not even mine. I wasn't the only one, either. The nine huge wolves snarled to the top of their lungs, their muscles tensed and their chests shook with rippling growls. Everyone stood still, no one moving. And then, I was suddenly completely calm. The anger disappeared as fast as it came. I noticed the wolves were calmed, too. It _had_ to be Uncle Jasper.

"We think of the wolves as our friends, Jane, not pets," Mom argued to her comment.

Jane gritted her teeth. I was suddenly a little tense.

"I wouldn't think this is the right time to try that, Jane," Dad warned harshly. "I believe you have someone to introduce. Didn't Aro send them with you?"

She growled loudly at him. It was impossible to see how angry she was, now that I was shrouded from the scene. Then, someone else, Felix, stepped forward and Jane took a reluctant step back one second later. I assumed he stepped forth to restrain her from attacking. Right after she stepped to the side, Felix took over her spot.

"It's good to have someone clear up a criminal's doings other than our authority for the first time in millenias," Felix said politely, and then went straight to the point. "Aro sends his regards. He is excited to introduce someone to you and your family, Carlisle." After he finished, he stepped to the side. So did the others. And then, the two unfamiliar figures stepped forth, one behind the other. When I finally focused on them, two new sounds of accelerating heartbeats echoed into my ears.

"I am Gabriel," said the one on the front. His voice was clear, beautiful and as young as a teenage boy. "My father is Aro, and my mother was a mortal named Andrea. And this is my sister, Philia."

The one behind him - his sister, I presumed - put one leg behind behind the other and lowered: a bow.

"Come, Renesmee," Dad called out to me.

Everyone moved aside to reveal me behind their shadows. My muscles tensed and my hands clenched lightly to Jacob's furry shoulder. I got a clear view of the boy. His features were about the same as an early teen, but impressively handsome. He was around my height. His skin was pale with a set of slightly pink cheekbones. His curly hair was an impossibly rich brown with long strings that covered most of his forehead and neck. His eyes were a pair of sky blue. The pure black cloak he wore wasn't thick enough to hide his masculinity.

His sister was almost an exact duplicate, except her hair was straight and ran down to her waist, and her body was thinner than the boy's. It was impossible to not see that they were twins. And the sounds of their accelerated heartbeats exposed that they were hybrid vampires, like me.

The twins and their bodyguards watched me as they waited. Dad inclined his head and held out his hand to me, though his expression was wary. I slowly released my hands from Jake and rose up before walking cautiously to the front line. It felt completely unnatural to leave Jacob to be introduced to some strangers. I had to remind myself that I was doing it to avoid conflicts with the Volturi, even though we had more than enough number and power to stand against them. Dad and Mom welcomed me with their arms. Mom showed a light smile, but her eyes were wary. Grandma and Grandpa joined us in the same second.

"This is my daughter, Renesmee," Dad introduced me to Gabriel.

Gabriel gave a polite grin and inclined. "It's nice to finally meet you, Renesmee."

"Nice to meet you, too," I replied with a blank voice.

"My father has talked a lot about your family. He says that he finds you all very interesting." He glanced over us for half a second, and then returned to us. "But it seems he hasn't realized that you've added a few more members into your coven."

"Your father?" I wondered.

Gabriel grinned at me while I gasped, stunned by the strange image that suddenly appeared in my mind. In the image was Aro's face. The face of the Volturi's leader and representative. The image was transparent, though. I could see through it to see Gabriel's smiling face. The picture disappeared as quickly as it came. And I was left shocked.

"What was that?" I whispered.

Mom gave a worried look; she had no idea what just happened. Dad brushed my shoulders gently like he already knew about it.

"Gabriel's gift is opposite to his father's, just like yours, my sweet," he answered.

Gabriel's sister, Philia, looked emotionless to the exchange.

"My father passed his gift to me and my sister," Gabriel explained. "I project my thoughts and images into others, while she projects the feelings behind them." She rolled her eyes and sighed, looking bored now at his description.

Jane looked pissed for some reason.

"I've been told much of the famous Cullen coven. Especially the fortune-telling Alice, the mind-proof Bella, the mind-reading Edward, and of course you. Your family has made quite an impression to ours." His eyes narrowed on me. "He's right. You're indeed as angelically beautiful as he pointed out."

Philia scuffed quietly. I was beginning to feel annoyed, but I managed to keep my voice steady like a business woman. "Thank you. But is the introduction the reason to your arrival?"

"He wanted to introduce me and my sister to you, but there had never been an appropriate timing. Like today, for instance, we did not expect you to be here. We were sent directly to dispose of the threat that was beginning to drag attention."

"It's a good thing that we took care of the business for you, then. The reason the criminals committed the crimes that they did was to challenge your family." Dad's voice contained no emotion.

When I turned to look at Mom, her face was cautiously observing.

"I guess I owe you and your family our gratitude," he said politely with a charming grin on his face. "It would be delightful to see more of you."

"That is not in our interest, Gabriel," Dad said, with a suddenly fierce voice. His knuckles clutched themselves so hard that it almost looked like they could break through his solid skin.

What had he heard to be so angry?

"What's wrong?" Grandpa asked.

"Aro is interested in uniting our two families by making Gabriel Renesmee's mate."

The moment he said it, Mom, some of my family and the wolves erupted in echoing snarls that reflected their anger. I gasped in surprise.

Felix stepped forward and placed a hand on Gabriel's shoulder, ready to yank him away if one of us attacked. Gabriel raised his hand to pause him and then flicked it to order him away.

"Please hear me out," he asked calmly. "You see, my father has been very fond of your family for a long time. And he had wished for some of you who particularly sparked his interest to join us. To unite our two families through us. Me and your Renesmee."

I revolted the way he said 'us'.

Mom hissed aggressively. "Forget it."

Jane snarled. Dad immediately moved to Mom's side in her defense.

No matter how peacefully or benefitial the offer sounded, I knew the costs and consequences. I have to say my words correctly to avoid the situation from turning conflictive. It took one second for me to find the right words.

"I believe I should have a saying in this," I said with a clear voice, and caught everyone's attention. After a moment, I looked at Gabriel and continued. "I find Aro's offer quite generous, and I thank him for that. But I am in _no_ interest of being chosen with a mate. Because ever since I was born, I was spoken for. By Jacob Black." Mom and Dad held my hands. Aunt Rosalie, Uncle Emmett, Aunt Alice, Uncle Jasper, Tommy and June came to stand next to us. "There will never be anyone else but him. I apologize for my refusal, Gabriel, but I am simply not worth your generosity."

His eyes narrowed and his expression hardened. No one spoke for a moment. And then, his face softened.

"Please send Aro our regards," Dad concluded. "We'll be sure to visit him soon."

Gabriel looked at him and said. "Of course. I'm sure he looks forward to hearing from you." Then he turned back to me. "It was good to meet you, Renesmee, regardless."

I nodded to be polite.

Gabriel snapped his fingers and ordered the others to follow him through the doors. Philia gave me an emotionless look before turning around to follow her brother. We waited until they were gone.

"Are they gone?" Mom whispered to Dad.

He nodded. "They're gone. He couldn't find a purpose to further the discussion, so they left."

I immediately rushed back to Jacob's side. His breathing was regular and even. Mom and Dad knelt down beside me while the others lingered in the hall. The wolves whined quietly.

"Sam, you should go home with your pack," Grandpa suggested. "I will contact Quil's grandpa and Emily to let them know you're safe. Jacob is fine now. And I will contact you when he wakes up."

Sam huffed.

"Carlisle, thank you so much for saving us," Dad interpreted his thoughts. "We owe you our lives."

"We're glad you're all safe again," he concluded.

Sam and his pack left in a second.

I focused on Jake's sleeping face when Mom said. "Let's take him home."


	51. I'm Back

**CHAPTER 51: I'M BACK**

**_Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful._**

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><p><strong>Jacob<strong>

My whole body bathed in the warmth of the most gentle light that glowed from the brightest star that floated in the very center of the universe. I looked into it. Shining ever so brightly but did not blind my sight. A set of eyes appeared inside it.

Then the light dimmed and the star began to shrink. I didn't know what it was doing. Those brown eyes remained in place as the star became smaller. Eventually it completely disappeared and what replaced it was the face of the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. So beautiful no goddess or immortal could possibly compare. Her hair floated swiftly, revealing her naked shoulders and neck. The light that glowed around her made it clear that she was the most graceful goddess that ever existed. Her chocolate brown eyes never broke focus from me. Her full lips pulled up into a wide smile.

And I was complete.

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><p>My eyes fluttered open, then temporarily blinded by the faint light that reflected from the white ceiling over me and felt a light pressure on the left side of my chest. It was <em>her<em>. She breathed slowly and evenly as she slept on me. Like my chest was a warm pillow. Her eyeballs moved themselves behind the lashes. Her bright curly hair covered her face, and shoulder and part of my torso. The back of her hand rested on my right shoulder.

_Thank God I get to see her again,_ I thought to myself and smiled at it.

In that moment, I was entirely peaceful and grateful to the cosmos for bringing this creature to me. Her mouth moved slightly.

"Jacob," she whispered in her sleep.

Growing a little curious with her dreams, I slowly touched her hand. Her dreams were flashes of rainbow colors, flashbacks of the battle that I partly missed out on. And then me. This image hit me horrificly: I saw myself in wolf form and looking directly at me through Nessie's eyes. His face scrunched and his sharp fangs shook as he growled. Despite the angry expression, my eyes contained no emotion, like a soulless puppet. Another transparent image appeared next to it, it was Jessica, who was also growling. I was seeing myself taken over by her. And we were directing at Nessie.

There was no fear in her, though. Just unwavered optimism and determination. To bring me back. And her hidden pain of my capture.

Was that what I looked like when that bloodsucker controlled me? A ruthless monster who didn't realize what he was doing? Did I hurt Nessie? My heart felt a sharp stab that wasn't there. I gasped.

The images in my mind fuzzed and then Nessie's hand retracted. Her breathing heavied slightly and her eyes fluttered open. As she focused on me, her face brightened and her lips lifted into a weak smile.

"Hey, stranger," she murmured.

It wasn't helping me though. I felt wretched inside.

How could I have been so stupid? I gave myself into the freaking bloodsucker coven to protect the one person that was most important to me. But all I'd done was hurt her to the core. What could I have done differently though? It wasn't like I had a choice.

What had fate bestowed upon me? Why of all monsters in the world, I had to be the one to hurt her?

I looked away, not meeting her eyes.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

I didn't answer right away. Words formed slowly in my mind. There were a million things that I wanted to say, but it all narrowed down to one sentence. "I'm sorry, Nessie," I eventually whispered out.

Her brows creased in confusion. "For what?"

I still didn't look at her. "When Jessica controlled me... I attacked you. I hurt you." That was the absolutely last thing in the world that I wanted to do. "I am _so_ sorry." The words didn't begin to cover it. Not by far.

"Jake," she said and touched my face. No image appeared this time. She gently swayed me to face her. "It's not your fault- Don't beat yourself up for something you didn't do voluntarily."

"That doesn't justify my actions," I argued.

It was true. It didn't matter that I didn't harm her willingly. I did what I did.

A new image flashed into my mind through her hand that was touching my face. The picture was crooked, but I knew the memory from a different angle. I saw me being carried away by another vampire. In that moment, I was flooded by reflecting emotions. Pain. Loss. The incompletion that seered into my heart. I realized those were Nessie's feelings. The pain that she was felt when I gave myself over to Nicholas's coven in exchange for her safety.

The nagging guilt in me increased. I wanted to kick myself for being so incompetent to keep her safe and happy. It was all that I wanted for her. But all I'd done was throw her into the darkest debt of a well. I made her suffer. Why couldn't I do anything right? I wanted to kick myself for being such a fool.

Her furrows creased, making a dimple between her eyebrows. Then, through her hand, appeared an image of me lying still on the muddy ground and Nessie bent over my head. Her mouth bit into my neck while I just laid there, doing nothing. My eyes completely shut. Though my respiratory was still functioning. A new flood of emotions emerged at the same time: Craving, desire, fear, doubt and self-struggle for dominance. The part of her that she revolted more than anything else in that moment.

She pulled away her hand.

"That doesn't justify the means, either," she said with a rueful grin. "So that puts us on the same level."

I didn't agree with that. Those were two entirely different situations. Mine was worse by far.

Her grin faded away.

"Jake, listen to me..." Pause. "Don't blame yourself for this. _If_ you want to make it up to me, then stop beating yourself up, because I want you to stop the guilt." The grin appeared again. "And I know you always give me what I want. You owe me that for leaving me behind."

Hmm. She sure knew how to get to me.

Yes. If she wanted me to stop blaming myself, then that is what I will do. It'll never completely disappear, but it will be kept at bay. Hidden in the back of my mind.

I pulled her head gently to my neck. My heart warmed and beated faster.

"Thank you so much, Renesmee, for saving me," I whispered into her ear.

"You're welcome," she whispered back without looking at me. Her hand touched my neck.

Slowly, she leaned toward me and kissed my lips. My whole body flared, not burning, but glowing. I craved more. But she pulled away after a moment.

_My family's still here,_ her thought transmitted into my mind.

A sigh escaped my throat, but I knew it was necesary to keep ourselves from going too far. After all, Edward was still quite traditional. If I did anything more with his daughter, he and Bella will probably kill me before I could get there. _Sorry._

"So where are Sam and Paul and the others?" I changed the subject, though my body was still raging with desire.

"Oh, they're all okay," she answered right away. "Your sister's probably crying of joy now that Paul's back, and I imagine the same about Emily and Kim and the others. They all went home after the Volturi left."

That was unexpected. "The Volturi?"

She nodded and explained. "They came to dispose of Nicholas's coven. Too bad we finished the job for them by the time they got there," she chuckled. "And check this out, apparently since our last encounter with them, Aro has given birth to a son and a daughter."

"What? How?"

I was stunned. She chuckled again and lifted her head to look at my shocked expression.

"Same as I was born. They're half-vampires."

I creased my furrows. "Did you see them?"

She nodded. "Gabriel and Philia, that's their names. Apparently Aro sent them to help dispose of Nicholas's coven _and_ to meet me." I waited. "He likes the idea of uniting my family with his coven, so he sent Gabriel to ask for my hand." She paused again. "But I told him to back off. He's way too young for me."

Outrageous as it sounded, it was quite hilarious.

"How old is he exactly?" I asked.

"Not sure, but he was born after me. I mean, he hasn't even reached adulthood yet, and I don't go for younger guys." I laughed at her joke. "I prefer older guys. They're more mature, safer."

I grinned widely at her. "Even someone older than you by 16 years?"

"As long as he chooses me, too."

We both laughed. It was such a relief to be able to joke again. She sank her head and hid her face in my chest again, and then we went silent. Having her beside me was like I could breathe again.

"Where's Bella and Edward?" I asked curiously after a long minute.

Just then, the door at the far end swung open, and Bella and Edward appeared.

"You were asking for us?" Bella asked with a grin on her face.

"How're you feeling, Jacob?" Edward asked.

_Don't you know?_ I asked internally, and then said. "Better. Don't think I'll be in bed for long. Thank you so much for saving me and my brothers."

"Anytime. You're family now, so there's no reason we wouldn't help you and your tribe brothers."

Bella and I exchanged looks. Besides Nessie, it felt good to see my best friend again after all this craziness, and I knew she was glad to see me, too. And strangely, Edward, too. I figured he must be very upset with me for having... I shook my head to avoid the words. He let out a peal of laughter. Bella eyed at him, puzzled.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Jake was just having some _funny_ thoughts," he explained lightly while laughing.

_Oh, so I'm funny? Thanks a lot._

He grinned widely at me, then turned serious. "Doesn't mean you're not right, Jacob. I hold on to traditions. That's just the way I was raised as a human, and it will always be that way for me."

Mhm. As expected from Nessie's _traditional_ father. He laughed again.

**Bella**

Edward and I left Jake and Nessie in the room to give them privacy. While Edward went to call Sam to tell him that Jake had woken up, I joined my family and the Denalis in the living room. Emmett and Jasper simply enjoyed a baseball game playing live on the television. Alice and Rosalie held a conversation with Kate about the newest fashion that fit the style of her hair. Carlisle and Eleazar conversed with each other about the Volturi's possible plans, with Esme and Carmen lingering around them. Fred isolated himself in the corner of the room and read some books from one of our shelves. Tanya had a short conversation with her sister and Alice, and then she joined her mate. She didn't seem repulsed around him as the rest of us. I'll never understand how he could control the intensity of his gift. Thomas and June kept to themselves in a corner, too. They just faced each other motionlessly like statues.

I went to the windows. Not looking at anything in particular, just enjoying the environment. Yesterday, Jacob was kidnapped, my daughter almost died trying to save him, and the weather was raining heavily. Also, my whole family was targeted by a coven of rebellious vampires who found a way to brainwash the wolves and use them like puppets. Finally, Aro, the leader of the Volturi, planned to tie us to his coven by uniting my daughter with his son.

But now, all of a sudden, everything was right again. Sunlight burst through the clouds and came through the glass. My skin sparkled in response to the light, but my mind was too busy reeling back to the results of our battle yesterday.

First, Sam and his pack were safely brought home. Second, Thomas had gotten his revenge to his family. Third, the Volturi had failed to make a union between my daughter and Aro's son Gabriel. And fourth, Jake had come back to us. We saved him.

The thought of the success made me smile.

Edward's arms were around me in an instant.

"I'm glad that Jake's back," he whispered in my ear. His feelings were mutual. Then his expression changed.

"What is it?"

He sighed. "I was just thinking about what Gabriel said. Aro wants us in his coven more than anything else in the world. Worse, he has some other targets in mind as well. He won't stop until he gets Renesmee and Gabriel to join in marriage and unite our families. And I'm sure now that we have Thomas and June with us, he'll _need_ to succeed at all costs. He knows that with two hybrids in his family, Alice won't be able to see his decisions anymore."

My mood fell a level, but my confidence didn't. So Aro wants to add our family into his collection? Bring it on. We will be ready for whatever plot they will throw at us. I was sure that the wolves will be on our sides when that happens. And the Denalis, the Irish, the Amazons, and all of the friends who once stood beside us.

Alice's sight may be blocked, but even that wasn't going to be enough to thwart us. Fred and I will be the best shields against their assaults, and Thomas will be our greatest weapon against them. Even better than Jane and Alec combined. I wasn't afraid of them.

"I'm not worried. I'm sure we'll be able to throw off whatever they plot against us," I said with a confident grin.

His face flashed with that ever so dazzling smile that had me weak at the knees, and then kissed my lips.

**Jacob**

I lifted myself off Nessie's bed around noon after Carlisle assured that my wounds were completely healed. I stood in front of the body-sized mirror and flung my arms carefully.

Yep. Definitely all healed. Nowhere felt uneasy or misplaced.

It was almost like those brief dark days didn't happen. Almost. My neck had a circular silvery bite mark that almost looked like weeks instead of days old. I was briefly reminded of Bella's scar on her wrist. Then something caught my attention. The supernatural pull that I'd always felt toward Nessie no moved to the other side of the door, and I knew who was standing behind it.

"Come on in, Nessie," I acknowledged her presence.

She instantly opened with a surprised look. "You knew?"

"I'll know you're in presence when you're in a ten mile radius," I explained.

She raised her eyebrows. "Anyway, someone's gone to your home to see you."

"Who?"

"You'll see. We told them to stay at your place since June is here. Grandma's already gone there to give them the key."

"Oh." That made sense. June was still a barely one-month old newborn, her lust for blood was still too intense. That was why she and Tommy decided to stay with the Denalis until she learned to control her thirst. So it was better to keep her away from anything with a pumping heart until then.

Carlisle walked me and Nessie to the porch. The Denalis and the other Cullens remained in the living room, half of them were concerned with what could happen if June saw me and Nessie. I took a quick glance at her new, crystalline pale face as her eyes completely focused on Tommy, who flashed a huge grin at me for a short moment. I grinned back and walked out before my scent could contaminate the air in the room.

Bella waited with Edward in his Volvo.

None of us spoke on the road. It seemed like everyone was too tired from yesterday's adventure to hold a conversation. Nessie and I looked at each other the whole time with our hands joined in the middle.

I was struck with shock and surprise when we arrived at my house. Everyone was gathered on the porch. My family, Rachel, Paul, baby Lydia; my pack; Sam, Emily and the rest of his pack; and Esme. I was greeted by heavy hugs almost as soon as I stepped out of the car.

Rachel was the first to embrace me, and the only one who cried. "Oh..."

"Hey, Rach," I whispered in her ear.

"Oh my God... I was so worried."

I looked over her shoulder and shook Paul's hand, and then stroke Lydia's forehead with my fingers. Before long, they backed away to make way for the others behind them.


	52. Jacksonville

**CHAPTER 52: JACKSONVILLE**

**_Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful._**

* * *

><p><strong>Renesmee<strong>

Life had eased back to the way it was after our confrontation with Nicholas's army and the Volturi.

Sam, Rachel, Paul, Lydia and Emily left with their packs and imprints one day after visiting Jacob. Leah even took the chance to introduce her boyfriend. She had changed so much; she was no longer bitter or harsh, though she still didn't like being around my family.

Tommy and June went back with the Denalis a half day earlier, but not before giving their new iVid addresses.

"I know my power doesn't reach that far, but at least you get to see me. And who knows, maybe June could sing you to sleep," Tommy said and gave her a large smile. June kept her distance, but flashed a smile in our direction. From the look of her peaceful red eyes, it was easy to see that she had no blood lust as long as I kept away from her. Aunt Carmen hugged me and Mom before setting off with the others.

"It's good to see you again, 'Phoebe'," Tommy said while he hugged Aunt Alice before he left.

As it turned out, Martie realized something was wrong when we suddenly took a day off and then added an extra day for Jacob, but he knew well enough to not ask too much. We had a short and subtle conversation at lunch and then he dropped the subject altogether. I was glad that he was so understanding. For the first time in my life, I had made a human friend on my own, and he accepted me for who I was.

Jacob fit right back into school, and finally paid off his Christmas present. Which I still hadn't used, along with my parents'.

At the beginning of April, we decided to try together. So we met at Markusson Wood at the end of Jenck Road after school.

"Are you ready?" Jacob asked while readying his engine.

I turned on mine. Its roar sent an automatic shake throughout the bike, and subsequently to my hands.

He flashed a grin.

"Do you remember what I told you?" he asked with a smug smile.

I nodded. It took the last hour to learn and understand all the techniques. How could I forget it?

"Race to the Blacktail Coffee," I declared, and then pushed with my leg and glided _slowly_ forward.

The bike moved wabbly for a half second before I steadied it. The speed was faster than a family minivan, but my feet could outrun it in a sec. Doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it though. The wind blew back my hair and exposed my open neck, and breezed across my face.

A roaring sound tailed closely behind me. I took a look over my shoulder to see Jacob catching up to me on his motorcycle.

His smile was something to look at, though I was still paying attention to the road. It didn't take long for him to catch up. I suddenly began to enjoy riding my bike more than I did a minute ago. Because riding bikes was what Jacob liked to do, and now I was doing it with him. Another reason, it was taking longer to ride than to run, which gave us more time to be together.

We drove back to the main road and all the way back into town. Jacob arrived at the café's parking lot two seconds before I did. I didn't mind though. It was so much fun just to ride separate bikes with him. It will probably be this way forever.

"I win," he stated, grinning. "What's my prize?"

I made a face while parking my bike.

"How about I buy you coffee?" I asked.

His grin widened. "Sounds good enough to me."

I was about to walk to the café before I noticed that Jacob stared at me with an incredulous look. Like I had grown a few feet taller.

"What?"

He laughed for a short second, and then talked. "Nothing. Just... I haven't looked at you in the clear sunlight for a while. You look just so beautiful."

I looked at my hand, now glowing weakly in response to the light. I'd never thought of it as anything special. If I did, it was discouraging, because the rest of my family sparkled like thousands of flawless when their skins encountered the light of the sun. My skin simply glowed, very weakly and mysteriously. Enough to stay in human population on a sunny day.

But no one ever thought any less of me because of this difference, not even my parents. To them, I was just as special and valuable.

"Thank you," I replied with a grin on my face.

* * *

><p>We arrived at my house around 8 o'clock. Jacob was about to walk me to the door when Mom and Dad suddenly appeared on the porch.<p>

"Come on in, Jake. There's something we want to discuss with you and Nessie," Mom said.

Dad waited for us in the living room. Mom was the first to join him. We didn't say anything until we all seated.

"What's going on?" I asked.

Mom and Dad shared looks before turning back to me.

"Renesmee, you know spring break is up next week," Dad began. I nodded. "How do you feel about going to Jacksonville to meet your Grandma Renée and Grandpa Phil?"

"What?"

"Would you like to go see your Grandma Renée in Jacksonville?" Mom interjected.

I used the short seconds to clear out what they were saying.

Jacksonville? My Grandma Renée? The one I'd never met before? And her husband, Phil?

"Yes, that's the one," Dad answered my thought. "We believe it's time you got to meet them. That's why your mother got you the ticket in the first place. She wants you to get the chance to know her. Or, at least meet her in person."

Of course I wanted that. She had a deep connection to my mom's early stages of life. She was one of the two family members I never got to meet because my - apparently - abnormal growth rate. Mom once told me that she could not know about me because my world would be too much for her to handle.

So what should I do? It only took half a second to find the answer.

"Cool," I answered and nodded. "It sounds great... on one condition." My eyes flickered to Dad - he already knew what I wanted. "One of you will come with me."

Mom, Dad and Jacob shared triangular looks. We were all on the same page.

* * *

><p>"You ready?" Jake asked.<p>

I nodded. There was no turning back now. After coming all this way, turning back just wasn't an option. Besides, we had the perfect story in store already. Doesn't mean I wasn't nervous about it though.

We walked to the door. I took a moment to inhale a deep breath, and then knocked very _lightly_. A few seconds later, it swung open. And then, there she was. Renée. My grandmother. My mom's best friend before she met Dad. A string of grayish brown hair hung to her forehead. Her clear blue eyes glittered like diamonds in reflection to the sunlight. Her features were slightly strained by laugh lines.

"Can I help you?" she asked, waiting.

I used a short second to pull myself together.

"Um... hello," I stuttered. "My name is Renesmee." The next words were harder to release than the last. "Renesmee _Cullen_ - I'm Bella's daughter."

Her face went blank, as if I spoke a language that she could not understand.

"Oh my God..." she whispered and touched her chest.

We made ourselves comfortable at the couch while Renée went to make tea.

The living room was clear and shiny, though much smaller than the one at my house. Sunlight shined through the wall-sized windows that faced the backyard in front of the beach.

Renée came back with a tray of three cups and a teapot.

"I'm sorry the place is a little messy," she said. "I usually clean once a week or so."

"No, don't worry about it," Jacob assured her.

She looked at me with those wondrous blue eyes.

"So, you're my granddaughter," she spoke after a moment.

I nodded nervously.

"I never knew Bella had a daughter."

"She didn't," I explained quickly, while my brain ran through the cover story. "Edward is my long lost uncle. After my parents died in a car accident a few years ago, the authorities tracked him down and found him in Alaska. I was handed into the Cullens' care. And then, Bella and Edward loved me so much that they decided to adopt me."

Her mouth made a little O for a short moment. "I guess that would explain it all."

She turned away, looked out the window. Her lups curled up in a smile, and she muttered. "I haven't seen her in such a long time." Then turned back to me. "Is she okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah!"

I pulled out my iPhone to show her the Photoshopped picture that my parents took days before spring break. The background of our house was replaced with a tropical village that Uncle Emmett took on his vacation to Brazil with Aunt Rosalie. At least the costumes were perfect. They looked exactly like traveling doctors that traveled around the world to help helpless people. I handed the phone to Grandma Renée.

"They've been traveling the world, helping people who couldn't afford to seek medical attention," I recited the story. "Edward and Bella graduated from the University of Alaska, and they've been traveling ever since. I went with them for a while, but last year they decided that it would be healthier for me to stay in one place and settle in one school instead of shifting around. So for the moment, I'm staying with Carlisle and Esme in Oregon."

She nodded in acknowledgment, then she look at Jacob. "And may I ask why Jacob is accompanying you?"

He snorted.

He's a very close friend to me. Actually, he works at an auto shop in Oregon. And because my grandparents think it isn't safe for me to travel on my own, they asked Jake to come along."

She nodded again, and then looked intently into my eyes. I was suddenly very nervous.

"I guess I never said 'welcome to the family'," she said gently. I smiled. Then, she took my hand and nudged it very gently, and then said in a heartfelt way. "It's good to meet you, Renesmee."

I gasped in joy and said sincerely. "It's good to meet you, too... Grandma Renée. And, please call me 'Nessie'."

She laughed, did what I asked and then hugged me tightly - for a human.

After that, she invited us both into their home. I was given the guest room while Jacob could only settle for sleeping on the too-short sofa. Over the rest of the weekend, Grandma Renée and I held endless conversations about my parents, my childhood and her adventures with Grandpa Phil. It felt very good to have the chance to get to know the one person I'd never met, and that she accepted me so quickly there wasn't time to adjust. Even better, she told me stories about my Mom's childhood. Something that she herself was too embarrassed to share. But despite all of the benefits, there were some downsides to the situation. Grandma's questions always involved my childhood. I knew well enough to keep my inhuman traits a secret, to be careful with what I was saying. Whenever she asked about my Mom, I could only come up with lies to keep the secrets sealed from her. Unlike Grandpa Charlie, she didn't like vague answers. If she asked what I liked to do for fun, I had to mind my own answers. Clearly, going hunting with your family as an infant and finding a prey on your own wasn't very _normal_.

After dinner on the last day of my spring break, I went down to the beach alone. The night sky stretched out before me as the wavy water brushed across my feet and the sand around them, again and again. The breeze touched my face with several contaminating fragrances that came from the south. Human, water, gas, and even rotten food not too far down the beach. Nothing interesting. The sky was a veil of bright stars that enlightened the horizons with their own powers. Some stronger than others, but they were all shining at the same time.

It would have been beautiful if something wasn't missing. If _he_ wasn't missing. I was stupid to not have dragged him out here with me. As I focused on him, the magical pull between me and him stirred and compelled me to walk back into the house and run into his arms. I wasn't sure if I should though.

Then, a shuffling sound reached my ears. It came closer by every second. I didn't need to turn around. The increasing intensity of the magical attraction was evident.

I almost smiled. It was so weird to share such an unbreakable bond with someone.

"Come to join me?" I asked without turning around.

He didn't answer. Instead he walked to my side and slipped his fingers through my palm. The heat of his hand was ever so natural. Just touching his hand was enough to keep me satisfied; but at the same time, it also made me crave more. I wasn't even looking at the stars anymore when he looked at me.

"You're so beauty," he whispered. "So much more beautiful than the stars."

I turned to him and touched his face to show my genuine feelings. How affectionate I was by him as he was by me.

"Nothing will ever be more beautiful to me than you," I said. "I don't ever want to lose you again. To lose your touch. The thought of not seeing you again was just... unbearable. That was what motivated me to save you." And then I joked. "After all, how could I not bear to rescue my knight in distress?"

He burst into a high-pitched laughter, and then said. "Then I guess that makes you my damsel in shiny armor?"

This time, I was the one who laughed.

His handsome brown eyes shined through the darkness to look into mine - my laughter ended immediately. His glance sent an electrical shock into my body and remoted it. He leaned in slowly and kissed me, first on the lips, then slowly touching them with his. Passion brightened us by every second, every touch. My hands moved to the back of his neck and pulled him in. His tongue slipped in through my welcoming mouth and touched mine. I found myself losing control of reason: I craved more of him. I _wanted_ more.

A throat cleared, and we instantly realized that we were not alone.

About five feet from our spot, Grandma Renée and Grandpa Phil watched us. Grandpa smiled very simply, like he was watching a show while Grandma eyed at us with the same incredulous smile that my family shared. I was embarrassed now, but I didn't want release Jacob from my grip, either.

Jake released his grip on my waist and slowly pushed my arms off his neck. His eyes glanced at me for a short second, and I knew how reluctant he was to do so. He just wanted to be the polite and approvable boyfriend.

"I'm sorry," he said.

They didn't say anything. They just shared looks and giggled. And then, Grandma Renée looked at me.

"You better be careful with him around your parents," she said teasingly. "Something tells me your father wouldn't approve of the way your boyfriend treats you."

I hope he wouldn't find out. Ever.


	53. Celebration

**CHAPTER 53: CELEBRATION**

**_Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful._**

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><p><strong>Renesmee<strong>

Here we were. The last day before summer. The end of the spring semester. The end of my first year at school.

I finished my last paper the day before, so there really was nothing to do but help set up the graduation ceremony for the graduating seniors tomorrow. It would have taken minutes to set up everything, if only it weren't that I had to keep my pacing on human level. The gym hall was full of people who worked too slowly, some didn't even bother to work, just hold random conversations. At least Aunt Alice was leading the decoration committee, so if she needed something done, no one was allowed to disobey her. Martie helped setting up the DJ player - I never knew he knew how to set one up - and Mom and Uncle Jasper hung the banner that read _Congratulations, Seniors of Cloverdale High!_.

Martie came to me when I was checking the sound system for the loud speakers.

"Hey," he greeted. "What's up?"

"Oh, hey," I greeted back. "Not much. Just checking the sound system, and then head home with Alice, Jacob and Bella. You?"

He sighed uneasily; for whatever reason I didn't know. "Well, I'm going to the pre-summer party at the Dulls tonight. I was just wondering if you would like to go." And then his expression changed slightly, as if he'd realized something. "Or does your family have other plans?"

"What other plans?"

"Other plans for fun before summer."

The tone of his voice was exposing how much he wanted me at the party. Other than lunch and quizzing him for finals, we didn't spend much time together at all. Not since the battle. I felt guilty for being absent, for being such a horrible friend when he'd done nothing but helped keep our secret.

"No," I finally said. "We're actually just spending the night playing games and all. It's not like I'm graduating, so there won't be any special activity. But a party sounds like fun."

A smile slowly formed across his face. "Great. Cool. Oh, and you should bring Jake along. Of course, the others are invited, too. Just make sure you stay clear of David the host, he's kinda a punk."

I laughed. "Thanks for the advice. I'll see you tonight, then."

And just like that, we walked away from each other.

**Jacob**

After Nessie told me about the party, I only used one second to decide about going. Alice was more than eager to come with; she could never repress the feeling of celebration. Jasper, Emmett and Blondie agreed to come, too. Bella, on the other hand, took some pleading and persuation; she'd never been fond of being in crowds or festivities, but Nessie, Edward, Alice and Jasper knew how to work their magic.

The place was crowded when we arrived, filled with sounds of screaming cheers and rock 'n' roll music. People spread widely around a bright fireplace, some danced while some others lingered around and socialized. Emmett rolled down a window glass and then smells of alcohol, sweat, barbecue and something else came through the opening. Weed, maybe?

"Wow, this place is really wild," Emmett commented.

"Don't park the Jeep just yet, big guy," Alice warned. I knew why.

Sunlight shined brightly across the high mountains over the entire area, forming a protective boundary between the party and the Cullens. Only Nessie and I would be able to go without drawing notice to the unsuspecting people. Soon enough, though, the sun will shift and the light will be completely blocked by the mountains.

"Jake, Nessie, you two go first, we'll join you in a few minutes," Alice suggested. "Just remember we're going hunting tonight after 12."

I nodded and left the Jeep with Nessie. Bella, Edward, Jasper and Rosalie looked on from inside Edward's Volvo as we walked into the front yard where the crowd was. Most of the people were from our school, but there were also unfamiliar faces. In a corner far away from the crowd, a young man was frying meatloaf and sausage, with plastic plates and forks laid aside.

"Can I get you something?" I asked her.

She looked at the grill, and then looked back at me after a second.

"Beef, please."

I inclined my head and said, "Your wish is my command," and then stroke to the grill. When I came back with a plateful of beef and French fries, she was in conversation with Danielle.

"They're gonna have a special buffet at Crafties," Danielle said.

"Oh, so that's why Julie and Austin are going there instead of here," Nessie said.

I came in between and handed the plate to Nessie. "Here's your share."

"Thanks." She turned to Danielle. "I'll see you later, Danielle. I'm gonna look for Martie."

She nodded and walked away.

We found Martie minutes before the sunlight finally shifted away from the area, and Bella, Edward and the others joined us shortly after. Alice dragged Jasper to the bonfire to dance around it with some of the other students, and then Emmett and Rosalie join them as well. I was about to ask Nessie to dance, but she told me how much she preferred to sit on the sidelines with me at the moment. I was more than willing to sit beside her, of course. Bella and Edward stayed beside us, too, and made conversations with some of the students from their class. Nessie, Martie and I talked about our plans for the summer: we'd already planned on going back to Forks to visit our families. He will be visiting New York for the holiday. In his voice and his eyes, there radiated sincerity and simplicity. Somehow it reminded me of pure-hearted Seth. Kind and good at heart who think only the best of people. I doubt I'll ever understand the deep friendship between him and Nessie, but I was grateful that she had someone like him for a friend. For such an amazing creature like her, deserved someone like Martie: someone with a kind heart.

She turned to me and touched my hand.

_Dance with me?_ she asked in her thoughts.

I grinned widely and pulled her toward the dancing crowd. She tossed the plate agilely into the garbage bag. Our hands never left each other while we danced. I loved doing that; dancing with her without releasing her hand. The touch kept my surroundings peaceful, despite all the noises and wilderness. Her thoughts were genuine. That, too, made me feel peaceful.

We left the party around 11. Carlisle and Esme were waiting on the porch when we arrived. I told them all to go on ahead, since I needed to take off my clothes before I could phase to keep them from tearing apart.

**Renesmee**

Uncle Emmett must have been very thirsty, cause he settled for a tiny rabbit for appetizer before taking off to find something bigger. Aunt Rosalie, Grandma and Grandpa went off to hunt together. I was smelling for some animal scent - a deer smelled better than the hummingbird on the nearest tree, and bigger with more blood - when Aunt Alice unexpectedly let out a high-pitched "Ah!" and broke my concentration. Mom and Uncle Jasper eyed at her incredulously. Her eyes were blank as she looked into the upcoming future. Her lips lifted to brighten her pretty face. Dad smiled widely as he read her mind to see her vision.

"Oh, my _God_!" she screamed and jumped _very_ slightly into the air.

"What? What's going on, Edward?" Mom asked Dad.

He gave her a happy look.

"They're coming back," he answered, and then clarified. "Thomas and June. They're coming home. _And_ they're getting married."

"What?" I asked loudly, my voice caught by the unexpected enthusiasm. They're coming home?

Dad nodded at me. "They're on their way to Las Vegas right now as we speak. To get their marriage license."

Just then, Aunt Alice's phoen rang. "Oh, it's them! It's them!" She fished out her shaky phone, unfolded it, and put it to her ear. "Hello, you've reached Phoebe Halliwell!" The teasing tone was so funny that I let out a laughter.

_"I take that you know why I'm calling, then,"_ Tommy said on the other end of the line.

"Yes, yes, I know. I got 4 days to get the wedding ready; the ceremony _has_ to be private, with only the Denalis being the exception. And if I overdo anything, you'll never talk to me again. I got June's size in mind, so I'll have the dress prepared in no time. Thomas, don't worry, everything'll be perfect. But I _really_ think we should have some food - you know, for the occasion. And for Jacob and Nessie."

Sigh. _"Okay, fine. Maybe just a wedding cake and some champagne, then. What about Carlisle?"_

"I'm pretty sure he'll be happy to perform the ceremony."

_"Oh, ok. Then we'll see you in 4 days."_ And just like that, they ended the phone line.

Mom and Dad held their arms around me and each other. Uncle Jasper wrapped his around Aunt Alice, who was already looking into the multiple futures - I assumed for the best and fastest wedding arrangements, outfits for us and June and Tommy.

Tommy!

Tommy! Tommy and June!

They're coming home!

Loud thudding interrupted my happy thoughts. I turned around to tell him the news.

"Jake, guess what. Tommy and June are coming home!"


	54. Ceremony

**CHAPTER 54: CEREMONY**

**_Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful._**

* * *

><p><strong>Jacob<strong>

I arrived at the house at 5 o'clock. Thank God Alice had time to prepare one for me.

"Hi, Jacob," Bella greeted.

"Hi, Bella," I greeted back. "Have the groom and bride arrived yet?"

She shook her head. "They'll be here in a few minutes. Esme and Renesmee are helping with the flower arrangements. 500 flower bouquets in 3 days wasn't easy to arrange."

I breathed, and inhaled the smells of lily, roses, lavender and orchids... and Martie's newly bought cologne.

"Martie's here?" I asked. The shock in my voice was evident.

Bella read my face. "Don't worry, he only brought the cake for us. And a wedding present. We kicked him out 10 seconds after he dropped everything." It was easy to laugh at her jokes.

Just then, Alice came out and waved her arms to get our attention.

"Yo! If you're gonna help, you better come inside. I still got a few things to finish up before they get here, and there isn't time to waste. Do you have any idea how _complicated_ it is to arrange a whirlwind wedding? I could use some more help. Bella, help Edward set up the cake. Jake, you got the clothes?"

I nodded and went to the trunk in my car to pull out the bagged tuxes and dresses. Didn't she have like a million of those satins and silks? "Where do I put them?"

"The dresses in my room, and the tuxes in Edward's and Bella's. And you better get dressed once you're done. As the best man, you have to be ready before the groom and bride arrive."

I walked inside and headed toward the staircase. A glowing shimmer caught my attention. I looked and found Nessie, who was helping Esme set up the flower bouquets by the windows. Her hair and skin glittered brilliantly with her white dress, which Alice chose for her, saying it fit her best as the maid of honor. I was instantly curious with how Nessie would look like if she was wearing... Uh-oh! No. I reminded myself that Edward was in the house, and he wouldn't be too happy if I thought of that so early. _Sorry._

I continued up the stairs.

**Edward**

I quickly and _very_ carefully pinched the edible flower decorations around the cake. Bella came in a tenth of a second and helped spread the vanilla cream around the sides.

Everyone's thoughts were in line with mine, all focused on the wedding. Esme was more than happy to watch her youngest son find the same happiness that we all did; even though it had only been a few years, she found her second favorite son in Thomas; creative and kind, and more understanding about a mother's feelings than most of the others. And like Carlisle and some of us, it hurt her to watch him suffer the pain of losing everything that was important to him. That was why she was happy when June reappeared in his life: the one thing that was still precious to him and connected to his past, his self; Renesmee was completely happy for him. He had always been her favorite uncle, and she wanted as much for him to have the best; Rosalie didn't like the idea of having another human sacrifice her humanity for a vampire, but at least she wasn't planning on ruining the wedding. She liked Thomas, too; Emmett and Jasper were disappointed about not having enough time for a bachelor party, but they were looking forward to rock-fighting with him again soon; Alice had looked forward to June becoming our sister since she saw her as one of us - and, she would never admit it, but she'd missed hearing him call her 'Phoebe'; Bella and I were on the same page. Quiet and sullen as he was, Thomas had always been a nice person, always thinking of others - not as selfless as Bella, but still kind to those around him that it was easy to be in his presence. Even Bella enjoyed his company; Jacob, despite his initial hatred of him for losing control in front of Nessie, had grown to like him over the last year. That was why he didn't object to picking up the outfits today.

As soon as I thought about him, his thoughts became clear inside me. For a second, he played with the image of Nessie in an extravagant wedding gown. Her long curlys hung easily down her back. The veil on her head was held steadily by a tiara. And then Jake realized what he was doing, and erased the picture from his head. He was afraid of offending me by imagining my daughter in a wedding gown.

_Sorry,_ he apologized.

I laughed, but didn't stop decorating the cake. Bella saw my change of expression.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"Jacob. He's afraid of offending me."

"How?" She was confused.

"He was having some pleasant thoughts about Nessie that he found inappropriate for us."

"What? He thought about her in a wedding dress?"

I laughed again. She had no idea how correct she was.

I'll have to talk with Jake about it later.

Alice came rushing into the kitchen. Her eyes flashed between the future and the present.

"Guys! They'll be here in 3 minutes. Rose's already upstairs preparing everything in the bridal chamber, and I need you and the guys to prepare the groom chamber. Chop-chop!" she urged, chagrined and stressed by the ticking seconds.

We finished in one second and then darted upstairs to change.

**Thomas**

The house had become a hundred times more beautiful than I remembered now that it was covered with clear decorative lightbulbs connected to the rooflines and the pillars. Only Alice could have been this creative and thi fast. The porch was filled with white rose bouquets. My heart ached in a very strange way, my core felt an incredibly strong sensation that made my hands a little shaky. The shaking and the sensation narrowed down to one thought: I was getting married. To June!

The occasion was made for us. June held my hand and caught my attention. Eleazar and Carmen waited expectedly for my family to emerge from the house. Alice was the first to appear at the doorstep when we parked the cars. Her arms wrapped around me the second I left the car.

"Good to see you again, brother," she said in my ear.

"Good to see you too, Phoebe," I whispered back, teasing. She giggled at the nickname.

The others were with us in an instant, greeting us with crushing hugs - only Emmett punched our shoulders. Carlisle and Esme welcomed Tanya and the others. Nessie's warm arms wrapped nicely around my shoulders.

"Welcome home, Tommy," she crooned. "I missed you so much."

"I know. Me, too," I admitted. "That's why we're having our wedding here."

Bella, Edward and Jacob lingered beside us, but his eyes focused intently on June. Clearly, they couldn't trust her to be around Nessie without setting off her dangerous side. I could _try_ to understand where their overprotectiveness was coming from. It was hard to watch June in danger without trying to do something to keep her safe. And now that she was standing in front of a half-vampire and a werewolf who had enough blood to trigger her temptation, it made sense that they would be so intense. But it was still insulting.

I looked over my shoulder to look at June. Her expression remained casual, like the scents were nothing: just like in Las vegas, when we were at the bureau: the place was filled with sweet, appetizing that almost set my throat on fire. But she managed to maintain better control than me. The agent was probably having nightmares about my ferocious expression right now. I was a little jealous of her. Been a vampire for only five months, and she was already controlling her blood drive better than me. Then again, it could have been worse.

My reminiscence was interrupted by Alice's urging. "Okay, come on. Chop-chop! The cake waits for no one!" With that, she grabbed June's hand and dragged her inside. And then, Emmett's hand was locked around mine. We moved so fast that I barely missed the door frame.

The strange sensation ached in my heart once again as my excitement for marrying June returned.

"You're swimming down the _entire_ Pacific Ocean for your honeymoon?" Emmett asked in shock. Apparently he'd never thought about doing that with Rosalie whenever they got married and made travel plans.

"Yes, bro, that's the plan," I confessed. My fingers carefully strapped the white tie around my neck. It fit perfectly with my white formal jacket. I used a short moment to admire my appearance in the mirror. I was completely handsome - more than I had ever imagined. Edward knew how to fix someone's hair. Impressive. _Thanks, Eddie,_ I thought to him. His reflection in the mirror winked at me. Jacob leaned against a wall, observing us.

Jasper's soundless footsteps echoed through the floor before he knocked and opened the door. "Are you guys ready? Alice bugged me to rush the groom downstairs in one minute," he said.

I grinned. She was more excited than us. Jacob, Emmett and Edward laughed along.

"Coming," I said, and then I rushed down the stairs with Jasper, Emmett and Edward following closely behind.

**Jacob**

I positioned myself beside Carlisle and Tommy by the altar at the windows in the living room, being the best man and all. The bridesmaids blurred down the stairs as soon as Edward starting playing the piano. Everyone else positioned themselves near Edward's piano.

Tommy's intense breathing echoed in my ears, but I was focusing only on one person. Nessie was so beautiful in her pink bridesmaid dress that I was dazed by it. Rosalie, Alice and Bella wore the same dresses, and Bella was more beautiful than the two of them, but Nessie was still the most beautiful. Edward played the wedding music notes on the piano, and June emerged from the stairs slowly and gracefully in her clear white bridal gown. Yeah, definitely no one more beautiful than my Nessie.

But today wasn't about my fondness and gravitation towards her. It was about June and Tommy being together for all eternity.

June and Tommy shared an intense and distant glance, and then she followed Bella, Rosalie, Alice and Nessie across the living room to his side. He held out his hand as she took it. The gleam in their eyes was evident and clear. They looked like they were both restlessly waiting for the day to end and be left on their own to rejoice in their marriage. They faced Carlisle, who then initiated the ceremony, saying, "Dearly beloved, we are gathered today to witness the union of Thomas Cullen and June Yu. Are you two joined here of your own free will to share the bond of eternity?"

"I do," Tommy and June replied with one doubtless voice.

**Thomas**

We turned to face each other, and I recited my vows - words as true as my love for the woman in front of me. "June, when I first met you, I fell in love with your external beauty and internal radiance. I never expected to be so deeply involved with anyone as special as you. And the least that I ever expected was for you to love me back. But you did, and I was happier than I've ever imagined when you became a part of my life. That's why it was so painful and devastating when I became a vampire, because it meant leaving you behind. But when you found me again and realized what I've become, you still decided to stay by my side. Of all the people in this world, you are the one who makes me who I still am today. That's why I promise to love, cherish and respect you from this point forward to eternity. Nothing will ever come in between my love for you."

She made a sore but grinning expression, as if she was about to cry, but no tears fell down her cheeks.

**June**

Sam's vows pierced into my frozen heart. When Carlisle said my name, I knew it was my turn to recite the vows. "Sam, before we met, I was a walker passing through life under my father's close watch. Even though singing was what I've always loved and enjoyed, I still felt that something was missing and that my father was always watching me, giving me instructions about my path. But then you showed up and gave me a clear view of who I really was and what I was lacking in my life: someone to fill my heart with contentment and make me realize how much I can really do. And more importantly, someone to love me for who I am.

"When you disappeared, I felt like the most important part of my being was torn away from me, and with that my ability to sing. I _had_ to know where you were for sure, so I decided to find you. And when I did, everything fell into place again. And now that we're equals, nothing has ever felt more perfect. That's why I vow to love and to cherish you, and to be grateful to every day that you're in my life, whatever your name is. No matter the odds."

His glorious expression grew a little sore - it looked like he wanted to cry at my words, like I wanted at his.

When Carlisle told us to exchange rings and announced us _husband and wife_, the first thought that came to me was, _We did it._ We actually made it all the way to this point: to our happily ever after.

Sam leaned in and kissed me - sealing our marriage. Forever.

**Bella**

Everyone cheered and clapped at the two's union; Emmett whistled. I looked sheepishly at Edward. His eyes met mine, like he knew what I was thinking. Then again, my thoughts were on the same line as everyone else.

Sunlight suddenly burst through the rainy clouds and in through the transparent window glasses. Thomas and June didn't seem to notice the sparkling on their skins. And I realized that it will be that way for them. Forever.


	55. Reception

**CHAPTER 55: RECEPTION**

**_Please review this chapter if you like it. Any encouragement would be helpful_****_._**

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><p>Jacob<p>

The sun glowed brightly behind the mountains as the sky darkened and the ceremony moved to on the reception party. Everyone made themselves comfortable in the dining room, now the center of the reception. June deliberately tossed the bouquet to Nessie. Typical, seeing that she was the only single woman in the family now... Hopefully though...

I shook my head to erase the idea. Edward winked at me, no fury in his expression.

Tommy and June sat in the center of the room as the married couple. Alice started the party with a congratulations speech, and then started the party with multiple sets of games - too _many _games. Tommy and June shoved a piece of cake down each other's throats while blindfolded; Emmett chuckled, like he was watching someone deliver an elephant baby on live TV. Alice dragged me and Nessie to the couple as their representatives on the charade game. Edward was forbidden to reveal any sort of clue. In the end, the girls won by 67 points. Emmett complained a little bit, but otherwise did nothing. Tanya and Fred were nowhere to be seen - I assumed Fred must've shielded them both in plain sight. Alice wouldn't be able to bother them even if she wanted to. Bella hated attention, as always, but she stepped up at Alice's request during one of the guessing games.

Finally, it was time for the second last game. Emmett and Jasper had been eagerly planning the hunting trip to make up for the bachelor party they never got to have for Tommy, but now it was time for karaoke.

Strangely enough, I awaited expectantly for June to sing. Everyone had been curious with what she could do. The intensity of her power. Everyone except Tommy, Carlisle and Nessie - she had been listening to her singing voice a couple of times before bedtime.

Tommy sat at the piano - he'd decided to orchestrate their song, now that he knew how to play the piano - and winked at June. He played the first notes, and then she began.

_"Never knew what I was missing, then you came and gave me sight."_

_"Then my eyes opened and saw the light."_

_"You brought much into my life, but "thank you" is not good."_

_"You made me see love. You gave me much more than ever."_

_"It will never leave. It lives inside me forever."_

_"Forever and ever."_

Her singing voice sent a glowing sensation in through my ears to my core. Her voice was enchantingly attractive, the music went along with it smoothly. It was like listening to one of those Disney soundtracks. I closed my eyes to listen deeper. Absolutely beautiful and mesmerizing.

_"Never realized my life was empty, then you came and made me see."_

_"Now my life is content, and I can see so much more."_

_"It changed my heart forever more."_

_"Nothing will keep us apart."_

_"Nothing will stop our love."_

_"This promise of our forever"_

_"will keep us both together."_

_"Forever and ever."_

_"This is all the proof we need"_

_"To the world that cannot see."_

_"We both saw love. It will never leave."_

_"It lives inside us forever."_

_"Forever and ever."_

Her song made me completely peaceful, and at the same time filled me with giggling happiness. I realized the potency of her gift. As a human, her voice was filled with life and feeling that made it good to hear; and now, as a vampire, it manifested into a sound of the most beautiful wind chimes that ever existed and more appealing than anything else. It was a thousand times more beautiful than any singing popstar that ever existed.

I took Nessie's hand into mine and gently held it there. She was dazed by June's voice, just like everyone else, I believed.

After karaoke hour, everyone went upstairs to change for the last game. Edward asked me to follow him into the backyard before I reached the top stairs, and yanked Bella with us. We walked a few hundred feet from the main house, into the forest. The light was still visible, but we were probably out of hearing range.

"What is it, Edward?" I asked.

He grinned at me.

"Today, when you were on your way up, you were thinking about my daughter in a bridal dress," he said.

Bella eyed at him in shock. Oh, this isn't good.

He chuckled, no dark humor in his voice. "It's always so fun to watch your expression," he teased Bella, who responded with a light punch to his shoulder. He laughed for a short moment, and then faced me again. "I want you to know, Jake," he said," that I wasn't offended like you thought. 7 years ago, I trusted my daughter's future to you, and that trust hasn't faded. If anything, it's become stronger because of what you did to protect her back in February. I know you cherish her as much as we do. So as her father, I've decided to trust her to you. Of course, I'm only speaking for myself." He looked sheepishly at Bella. So did I.

She chuckled in a silent way, then looked at me. "I trust her to you, too."

They were trusting their daughter's future to me? To let me be with her forever?

I grinned widely at the thought.

Edward eyed at the house, like he didn't hear me.

"Now that it's settled, we should probably go back inside and get changed," he suggested.

Bella and I nodded in agreement.

The hunting game ended after 2 hours, with Alice and Jasper as the victors when they caught Emmett's black bear before he found it. Alice claimed that she had no idea he was hunting it, but it was clear in her eyes that she was lying. Edward knew better, too. Emmett will hold that grudge against her for a while.

After the game, though, it was time to say _salute_ to the married couple. Alice said that they were spending their honeymoon at the Pacific Ocean, exploring the darkest depths of the sea, finding treasure for us. Tommy was wrestling with the idea of fighting a shark and feeding on marine animals. Emmett gave them a waterproof backpack that was about as big as my torso, which Alice had stored with diving suits. Jasper, Rosalie and Edward had tipped together their money for an underwater camera. Carlisle and Esme gave them a key to a small residency on some unknown island called 'Isle Esme', but Esme made them promise not to ruin the house or they'll never be invited there _ever_ again. Renesmee gave them an underwater flashlight; though she knew they could see in the dark than better she could, she wanted them to be prepared. And Bella gave them their most significant one: passport, ID and birth certificate for June Yu. Her newest identity.

The couple hugged their family, me (man, June really knew how to handle her strength) and the Denalis, and then they rushed off to their honeymoon.

The party was over after the hosts left. The Denalis had a short conversation with Carlisle and Esme before they returned to Alaska.

Everyone else stayed to clean up. I took the remains of the wedding cake into the fridge while Nessie tossed away the used-up decorations into the garbage bin. Bella finished dishing and mopped away the water in five seconds, and then she turned around.

"Why don't you walk Jake home, Nessie?" she suddenly said.

Nessie's eyebrows creased and made a little dimple in between. "Really?"

She nodded. "I'm sure your dad will cover up the rest of the cleaning. It only takes a short time anyway. With eight vampires and all."

We laughed together for a few seconds. Then, she threw the garbage bag out to the backyard and waited for me there.

I gave Bella an appreciative look. She was giving me the right opportunity. Then I turned around and joined Nessie in the yard. We walked a few paces into the woods, too far from her family's hearing range but still close enough for Edward's mind to reach ours. Our hands interceded. The warmth of her hand intensified the anxiety that already gnawed inside me. Every step we took, every second that ticked by, brought me closer to asking my eventual question. I worried about what her answer might be. Of course, I would never force her to do anything she didn't want, but this was something that I wanted. I wanted _her_. That being said, I will never take away her will to choose. Anxiety grew and lingered inside my tissues.

She stopped abruptly, and asked a silent question. _Is everything okay?_ An image of my stressful face projected into my mind. She knew that something was bothering me. I turned and twisted to touch her other hand and faced her directly. I tried to breathe to force away my worries and pulled up a smile to cover it.

Words scattered in my head. It took several seconds to force the simplest sentences into being.

"Nessie... you're the best thing that has ever happened to me," I said as my mind continued to find the right words. "Before you were born, I always knew what I wanted in life, but when I fought for it, I lost. And the pain of that loss tore me apart. But when I met you, and everything fell into place. And I realized that I had found my place in the world with you. Being with you is the only way that makes this mad world make any sense at all. And for 8 years, I've never been happier with anyone else than I've been with you. That's why I'm gonna... take out the courage and ask you a question."

Nessie's expression changed from curiousity to anxiety. Now, _she_ was a little nervous. Her breathing rate increased slightly. I got down on one knee, and fished up my mom's engagement ring from my pocket and held it in front of her.

I took a deep breath and said it. "Renesmee Carlie Cullen, I love you more than everything else in this universe, and I swear to always be that way. Would you like to do me this extraordinary honor and be my wife?"

She forgot to breathe for a moment. Her unreadable expression made me even more anxious. When her lungs started to burn by the lack of oxygen, she choked and shut her eyes. Then, her lips lifted and formed a tiny smile. Very tiny and knelt down in front of me.

"Jacob," she whispered, then spoke louder and took my hands. "I know beyond a shadow of doubt that I love you. And there will never be a guy who can ever compare with you, or compete for my heart, because it already belongs with you. And I am inclined to accept your proposal."

That last sentence sent a sharp stab into me.

"But?"

"But I'm not ready for marriage just yet. But I promise you that... when the time is right, I will ask you to ask me again. And by then, I _will_ say yes. I love you, Jacob Black."

I grinned widely. "I love you, too, Renesmee Cullen."

She leaned up with one heel and kissed me. I ran my hands around her neck and shoulder as I responded with such passion that had me burning from head to toe.

I didn't mind it.


	56. Epilogue: Forever

**EPILOGUE: FOREVER**

**2 YEARS LATER**

**Attention: **_**This**** is the final chapter of **_**The Twilight Saga: ****Blinking Star**_**. Great thanks to all of my fans for your support. Without you, I doubt I would've made it to the end. This is actually one of few stories that I've managed to write an ending to.**_

_**For those of you who may be interested of reading a continuation of this fanfiction, please visit the following story - **_**The Twilight Saga: ****Moonlight_. There is also a short story called _Tommy's Story_._**

_**Thank you again for your support.**_

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><p><strong>Renesmee<strong>

Oh, my God.

This was getting a little too much.

A long elegant wedding gown? The lower half of my body looked like nothing more than a huge balloon. Aunt Alice was crazy to want me to wear _this_. And white high heels and pearl earrings to match the dress? I felt like a centerpiece in the middle of a royal ball. The day was just as cloudy and gloomy as any other anyways. A regular day in Forks. Why would she want to make everything so neatly decorated and beautiful when there was no sun to reflect the subjects?

Mom entered the room.

"Nessie?" she asked as I looked at her. The dark blue elegant dress that Aunt Alice picked out so carefully fit her perfectly that it was impossible not to adore her. "Your grandmas and grandpa are here. They're on her way up to give you your something new." I nodded, and then she left.

Something new. Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue; all was a reflection to the bride's part at a wedding. And today the wedding's bride and groom were _Jacob_ and _me_.

My breathing was even, but my heart pounded like a jackhammer. My hands trembled a little bit and my feet felt slightly numb. What was wrong with me? Today was the most important day of my life, and here I get nervous?

I shut my eyes to try to swallow the nerves.

"Wedding jitters, Ness?" Aunt Alice asked and patted my shoulder.

I looked at Aunt Alice and grimaced. She was so good at seeing through me.

Aunt Rosalie finished fixing my hair five seconds before Grandma Renée, and Grandma Sue and Grandpa Charlie reached the door.

"Hi, Nessie," she greeted with a sense of excitement and stepped in, revealing the tiny silver box in her hand. "I'm so glad I made it on time to give you this before the ceremony. It's your something new." She opened the lid, inside stored a simple golden bracelet. I stroke my fingers carefully on it. True gold.

"It's beautiful. Thank you, Grandma Renée," I said and attached it around my right wrist.

"Aw, you're welcome, sweetheart." She wrapped her arms around my shoulders. I hugged her back. When she backed away, she examined me carefully and said, "I'm so happy for you. Oh my Gosh, you look so much like your mother when she got married to your dad." Her eyes went teary and she wiped her tears. Thank God she had tear-proof mascara. Grandma Sue smiled a gleaming smile at me.

Mom gleamed with her smile. I didn't think it was true, though. The picture of my parents' wedding day showed my mom when she was still human. Despite all the flaws, she was beautiful, and that wedding dress made her shine like a goddess.

Someone knocked on the door.

"Nessie?" Dad said as he entered the room. Mom followed him in. "Your Mom and I would like to give you your something old and something blue."

She opened a long silver box in her hand. Inside stored a pair of ancient silver combs with sapphires embedded in its floral shapes atop the teeth. I recognized them as the ones that Mom wore on her wedding day, so beautiful.

"That's good enough, guys," Aunt Alice said as she examined me again. "And those pearl earrings are borrowed from Rose, so that's pretty much it." Then, her voice hardened. "Now, as much as I hate to do this, we actually still have some work to do, and we can't do it with so many people in the room, so everyone out." She waved her arms to signal everyone out. Mom gloated at her, but did as she asked. Dad gave me a sweet look.

"I'll be downstairs," he whispered.

Once they were gone, my jitters returned. I hoped I won't mess anything up. My head couldn't function normally. My body felt slightly numb now. I closed my eyes and breathed to try to quench my nerves.

"Should I go downstairs and send Jasper to you?" Aunt Rosalie asked me. She noticed my worries.

Aunt Alice leaned next to me and whispered in my ear. "Don't think about how bad the day could turn out or how you're feeling troubled. Just remember that this is the day where you will be spending with Jacob forever. Where he will always be by your side, and nothing will ever stop you two from being together again."

I thought about what she said, and it helped.

Yes.

Today was the day that will bring me and Jacob together. I focused on that.

**Jacob**

I put on my black tuxedo jacket while Emmett made another joke about my upcoming sex life with Nessie. It was infuriating to listen. Trust Emmett to find the joy of humiliating me on my wedding day. His marriage and sex cracks made me tense like a hound on alert.

"C'mon, man, you gotta say it was pretty funny," he admitted. "I mean, I would just _love_ to pound a house off its pillars when I make love to my wife on my wedding day."

I wrapped the bowtie around my neck, trying to ignore him.

"Emmett, drop it, you're getting on his nerves, not to mention mine," Tommy warned, though it was easy to tell by his voice that he was enjoying the conversation.

Emmett snorted. "What? It isn't funny?"

I grunted silently, but I knew they would hear me. Thankfully, Bella entered the room just before Emmett could crack another joke outta his mouth.

"Emmett, I think you better get downstairs," she said. "Someone's arrived with some heavy gifts, and I think it would be better if you're the one to carry it for them instead of June and Rose."

Snort again. "You're just trying to get me out of here."

"Yes, and we do have to show hospitality to our guests, so chop-chop!" Bella clapped her hands.

Emmett sighed, but did as she asked.

"Good job, Bella," Tommy complimented.

"Thank you." She eyed at me sheepishly and then turned back to Tommy. "Thomas, would you mind giving me and Jacob a minute alone?"

He shook his head without hesitation and then disappeared out the door. Bella looked at me intently, like she wanted to tell me something very important or intense. So intense that she needed to get Tommy out of the way before she could say it.

"Is everything okay?"

She nodded and smiled widely. "I just want to say something to you before the wedding." I waited nervously for her to continue. "You do remember what I said a long time ago, about the two of us being one big happy family, and now you're really going to be. You make my daughter happy in a way that only you can give, and I can tell that she is the only one who will give you the same happiness. I'm glad to have you as my son-in-law."

I smiled, and then snorted at the memory of her anger when she'd first found out that I had imprinted on her daughter. It was such a clear memory, even though it'd been a decade. "I swear to always keep her safe, Bells. I will always be there for her," I promised her.

She nodded. "I know you will." Her grin wide and pure of happiness.

We looked at each other like that for a few seconds. Then, Edward came in.

"It's time," he said with a huge smile of his own.

**Renesmee**

June's humming led me down the stairs as I followed her voice. Dad waited at the bottom of the stairs, and held out his hand when I reached for him. My mind was clouded by anxiety, I could barely move my legs and hold on to the bouquet in my hand. He smiled reassuringly while gently pulling my arm underneath his.

"You ready?" he asked. As if he didn't already know.

I inhaled slowly, held my breath in and nodded. "Yeah." Part of the air escaped my lungs. His smile widened.

_"Everything's gonna be fine, Nessie,"_ he whispered. I nodded again.

Then he guided me across the hallway into the living room, gripping hard to Dad's words the whole time to avoid the anxiety attack that was roaming inside my chest - the altar where everyone rose from their seats when they saw us. The first automatic thing I did was look up front, and I saw Jacob in his black groom tuxedo. He showed a glorious smile of amazement and strength. And that was all that took to make me think about only getting to him. I didn't know that I wasn't breathing until my lungs started to burn. I crossed the room, desperate to get to him now.

He held out his hand when I was in reach. Dad gave Jacob a thoughtful smile before he let me go and then joined our family at the seats. My glance brushed across the guests for a brief second. Jacob's family - Lydia, Rachel, Rebecca, Sol, and Paul - sat at the other side of the front seats. The Uley pack and the Denalis in the second. Nahuel sat in the far back. I turned back to Jacob.

His deep brown eyes bore intently into mine. "Wow," he breathed and muttered. "You look so beautiful."

I gleamed and used the connection of our joint hands to show him how genuinely dashing he was.

When the priest initiated the ceremony. Jacob began with his vows.

"I, Jacob Black, swear by this altar to always love you, Renesmee Carlie Cullen, as my wife, my lover and my soulmate.

From this point forward, no matter the obstacles, the challenges and the heartaches, I shall always stay by your side as your husband."

My eyes covered in tears, but I knew it was time to say my vows. I breathed to absorb the tears back in, and waited on the preacher's cue. When he gave it, I began.

"I, Renesmee Carlie Cullen, accept you, Jacob Black, to be my husband. Not because of what we've been through before or where the origin of our connection came from, but because of the moment that we share. I know deep down in my heart that you are, and will always be, the only one soulmate for me. And I know now that loving you was my destiny, and I will always love you."

His expression remained the same, but his teary eyes told that he was touched. When we exchanged rings, I realized that we had succeeded. We'd actually made it here, after 10 years. All the god times, all the bad times, everything that Jake had gone through with my Mom and Dad, had led us to this point right now. The cosmos couldn't have made a better plan to bring us together. Nothing can come between us, not even the Volturi.

"I love you," Jake said.

"I love you," I replied. "Forever."

He leaned down toward me; I lifted my toes and kissed him.

**Renesmee and Jacob**

The kiss - the seal of our marriage - united our bodies, and turned us into the brightest star that ever existed in universal history. We were now two halves of the brightest illumination, not able to shine without the other. Every fragment of smaller stars and illumination was in place right now as they celebrated our bright union.

Now we were officially married, and it will stay that way.

Forever.

**THE END**


End file.
